Spiritual Reality Check

There was once a young couple who had a son named Johnny.  Little Johnny was in the 3^rd grade at a small town public school.  His mom and dad doted on him and made sure he had everything he needed and mostly what he wanted.  Johnny was your typical privileged American kid with a television in his room, a dvd player in the car and a tablet to play on in case his favorite cartoon was not showing.  He made regular trips to the dentist and doctor for his teeth, allergies, bumps and bruises.  Life was mighty fine for this youngster and he began to notice.

One day Johnny’s school was asked to participate in the Christmas Parade that the city held each year at the beginning of December.  The 3^rd grade class joined up with the 4^th and 5^th grade to make a float where the administration and select teachers would sit while the children marched behind.  The following weeks were a flutter of excitement around the school as everyone prepared.

Finally the big day of the parade arrived.  Temperatures had cooled and the smell of hot chocolate wafted through the gymnasium where the parents and children waited their turn to head down the street and wave at the public.  Johnny’s mom and dad fussed over his Christmas sweater and combed his hair as he furiously played a game on his tablet.  Before long, the teacher began lining everyone up and the children began moving towards the street and joining the parade. 

Johnny’s proud mom and dad watched from the sidelines as he meandered along while all the other children marched.  They took pictures and posted their little darling’s wonderful achievements to Facebook, claiming there was never a more handsome 3^rd grader in all the world.  The only thing they could not figure out was why Johnny was the only one proceeding correctly in the parade and why all the other kids were doing it wrong. 

150 other students and teachers marched in perfect rhythm behind their school float and only little Johnny had walked.  The parents never saw passed their own pride in their son to notice his error.  They had blinders on and didn't stop and pay attention to the way things REALLY were.

As you and I continue in this journey, let’s always be sure to ask God to search our own hearts and see if there be any wicked way in us before blindly moving forward in error.  But beyond that let's take our blinders off and look at spiritual reality.  And that reality is something I am going to ask you to think long and hard about, Hell.

Hell is a real place.  According to the Scripture in Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

When is the last time you imagined what Hell must be like?  When is the last time you spent any considerable length of time and thought about your unsaved family and their eternity?  What about the guy at the drive thru where you get your morning coffee?  What about the girl at the check-out at the grocery store?  What about that group of misfit teenagers you snarled at when you walked briskly by them on the way to Bath and Body Works for the buy 3 get 3 free sale?  How about that neighbor that bugs you to death?  How about those convicts on the side of the road picking up garbage? What about your own children?

Do we really believe that hell is waiting to torture these souls for ever and ever and ever if they don’t get saved?  Could we stop thinking about ourselves and our ministries and our school and our cars and our houses and our pets for just long enough to picture what hell is really going to be like?  If we would pray while thinking about hell, I think we would spend longer in our “War Rooms”.  I think we would take our eyes off of our privileged American lives and realize that God has been so good to us that we need to introduce Him to others. 

Yes, it is way out of most people’s comfort zones to talk about God to strangers, so why not begin introducing yourself to someone and find out about their lives so you aren’t strangers?  You do realize that most folks are not going to come to your church to hear about Jesus don't you?  They are busy living their lives on that broad highway that leads to a great big open gate to destruction and hell.  They need someone to pull them aside, show them that they care and lovingly speak the Truth to them.

Order some tracts, (http://www.delightthyself.com/ is a great site to get tracts) keep them where you can reach them quickly.  Have coffee with someone and see if they want to have a Bible study with you.  Simply smile and speak kindly to the kid getting the shopping carts in the parking lot.  Ask them how they are doing and care about their response.  When you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning, picture someone's face as they stand at the Great White Throne judgment and get their sentence passed down.  See the horror in their eyes?  Hear their screams? 

What is wrong with us that we are not doing more to reach the lost?  It is not okay.

This blog post is a reality check.  Life is short, both for the saved and unsaved.  What are we doing about it?

Let’s not be guilty of thinking we are living this life so perfectly that we get proud and miss the glaring reality that we are not busy following the heartbeat of God.  And the rhythm of his heart beats to the tune of souls.  Let’s not miss a beat!

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri