I am not one to preach fire and brimstone because I don't think fear is a very good motivator. If you scare someone into doing what's right, they will eventually lose their fear and they will no longer follow what they were following due to fear of the consequences if they didn't. I think love and reward are much better motivators because love and reward will never lose their attraction and each and every one of us desires love and reward. But, that being said, I do think we, as Christians, have made a huge mistake in leaving out the talk of fire and brimstone, entirely. I cannot recall the last time I heard a preacher speak about hell in straightforward language and described as the Bible describes it. We've somehow taken hell off the table because we're afraid people will either not believe it or because we think it's too harsh.
Whatever the reason, we just don't really talk about what the future holds for those who will be left behind. That's where we leave off the conversation: left behind. Left behind to what? To continue living as people have been living for thousands of years? No, not at all. Yes, there will be a time when mankind is left on the earth after the saints are ascended to heaven with Jesus through the clouds. But that situation will not last. The anti-christ will be allowed to rule this earth for a time, but then will come the battle between good and evil. When that battle is concluded those who did not choose to follow Jesus will face judgment. If their name is not found in the Book of Life, they will be cast into outer darkness where the flame never dies and their soul will suffer torment along with the devil and his demons. To spend eternity in an unquenchable fire and in utter darkness where light cannot live. But the worst part of that situation is that there will be no presence of God: no goodness, no love, no hope. Jesus said there would be gnashing of teeth due to the extreme torment.
We've all heard people joke about the partying and fun they will have when they get there, and maybe some of us have even joked about it, too. But, hell is no joke and it's not going to be a party. But, please don't say that God will send people to hell. God will not send a single human soul to hell. There's only 1 who will be sent to hell by God, and that's Lucifer, Satan, the devil. Every other soul that will be in hell will be there because they chose to be there. No, they may not have consciously chosen to spend eternity in a lake of fire, but when they chose to not accept God and Jesus, His Son and they chose to not obey the commands of Jesus, they chose to send themselves to hell. And the saddest fact of all, to me, is that there will be far more souls in hell than there will be in Heaven. That's such a tragic thing for me to comprehend. How anyone could or would reject the loving God who gave His One and Only Son to die in order to take away our sin so that we could spend eternity with Him in His glory. The requirements for Heaven aren't even difficult. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and repent (turn away) from sin, while feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, visiting the sick and incarcerated and taking care of widows and orphans. Love each and every person on this planet as God loves us. After all, they are also His children, whom He loves just as much as He loves you and I.
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Beauty Is In The Eye of The Beholder
For those who are truly aware that they are not beautiful or handsome, it's not a matter of feeling sorry for themselves or thinking badly of themselves. They simply have looked at themselves objectively, and have accepted the truth that they are not a madly beautiful woman or greatly handsome man. But, they also have "tells" that let them know they are accepting the truth. They have heard the difference when someone mentions how they look. They have heard, 'oh, you look nice,' or the like, but they never hear someone say, spontaneously, 'oh how pretty/handsome you are!'Oh, they may hear someone say that they are handsome/pretty/cute, if they mention that they are not. Normally a relative or a good friend will almost immediately tell them they are, but that doesn't really ring true to the person of average looks. That relative or friend only says they are when they hear the person saying they aren't.
Now, this is not about people feeling sorry for themselves, or people who are digging for compliments. This is about those people in the sea of humanity who are average or below average in the looks department. We all know they exist. In fact, most of us will talk about them behind their backs and talk about how badly they look or even think of ways they could make themselves look better, but no one wants to say these things to the average or below average looking person. Instead, if the subject is brought up, the immediate response is to lie to them and tell them that they are, in fact, cute or pretty or handsome or good looking. But that person already knows they're not. And 99% are okay with it and they're not trying to get anyone to lie to them or feel sorry for them. They are just stating an established fact.
There are those who are, in fact, beautiful people who cannot accept their appearance as being beautiful or handsome. If someone tells them they are, they'll argue that they're not or that they don't feel or believe they are. Most of these people have low self-esteem and are truly not aware that they are appealing in their appearance. But, these people respond to spontaneous comments about their appearance on a regular basis. Their response is negative because of their inability to truly see and accept their appearance due to their low self-esteem. They will sometimes bring up their looks as being below average in order to hear someone tell them different, but it's all part of their low opinion of themselves, not due to a need to hear someone tell them they are beautiful or handsome.
Of course, there are those on the extremes of this issue: those who truly believe they are the most beautiful/handsome and those who truly believe they are the ugliest. There may be a few of them who are correct, but their attitudes about themselves are off-putting because their ego is either super inflated or truly flattened. No one really wants to spend time with either of those extremes.
But, why do we judge a person based on their physical attributes? There are beautiful people who have the worst morality and would steal, kill and destroy without thinking twice. And there are those who have absolutely no physical attribute that will grab attention and their hearts and souls are filled with love and kindness, compassion and empathy. Why do we gravitate toward the physical appearance when it's what is in the soul and spirit of people that we are in need of? The most beautifully wrapped package could contain the deadliest of poisons. A plain paper bag might contain the most coveted gem. Truth is, the most gorgeous diamond of all time, the Hope Diamond, arrived at the Smithsonian Institute in a plainly wrapped parcel box.
Why can't we judge a person's beauty on the fruits of their life rather than their physical attributes. To be honest, most people cannot take any credit for their appearance because it was merely their genetic makeup that gave them the looks they have. It's in their behavior and their honor that we should judge their beauty. The Bible tells us to judge the fruit: look to see if someone is caring, compassionate, empathetic, sympathetic, giving. Those traits are the ones that should be present before we label someone as beautiful or handsome. After all, even the ugliest person on earth is the most beautiful person on earth to the ones who love him or her.
Now, this is not about people feeling sorry for themselves, or people who are digging for compliments. This is about those people in the sea of humanity who are average or below average in the looks department. We all know they exist. In fact, most of us will talk about them behind their backs and talk about how badly they look or even think of ways they could make themselves look better, but no one wants to say these things to the average or below average looking person. Instead, if the subject is brought up, the immediate response is to lie to them and tell them that they are, in fact, cute or pretty or handsome or good looking. But that person already knows they're not. And 99% are okay with it and they're not trying to get anyone to lie to them or feel sorry for them. They are just stating an established fact.
There are those who are, in fact, beautiful people who cannot accept their appearance as being beautiful or handsome. If someone tells them they are, they'll argue that they're not or that they don't feel or believe they are. Most of these people have low self-esteem and are truly not aware that they are appealing in their appearance. But, these people respond to spontaneous comments about their appearance on a regular basis. Their response is negative because of their inability to truly see and accept their appearance due to their low self-esteem. They will sometimes bring up their looks as being below average in order to hear someone tell them different, but it's all part of their low opinion of themselves, not due to a need to hear someone tell them they are beautiful or handsome.
Of course, there are those on the extremes of this issue: those who truly believe they are the most beautiful/handsome and those who truly believe they are the ugliest. There may be a few of them who are correct, but their attitudes about themselves are off-putting because their ego is either super inflated or truly flattened. No one really wants to spend time with either of those extremes.
But, why do we judge a person based on their physical attributes? There are beautiful people who have the worst morality and would steal, kill and destroy without thinking twice. And there are those who have absolutely no physical attribute that will grab attention and their hearts and souls are filled with love and kindness, compassion and empathy. Why do we gravitate toward the physical appearance when it's what is in the soul and spirit of people that we are in need of? The most beautifully wrapped package could contain the deadliest of poisons. A plain paper bag might contain the most coveted gem. Truth is, the most gorgeous diamond of all time, the Hope Diamond, arrived at the Smithsonian Institute in a plainly wrapped parcel box.
Why can't we judge a person's beauty on the fruits of their life rather than their physical attributes. To be honest, most people cannot take any credit for their appearance because it was merely their genetic makeup that gave them the looks they have. It's in their behavior and their honor that we should judge their beauty. The Bible tells us to judge the fruit: look to see if someone is caring, compassionate, empathetic, sympathetic, giving. Those traits are the ones that should be present before we label someone as beautiful or handsome. After all, even the ugliest person on earth is the most beautiful person on earth to the ones who love him or her.
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