God Does Not Send People to Hell

From the title, this post might seem a bit controversial at first, seeing that people do go to Hell, but what people don't commonly realize is that God isn't the one that sends people to Hell. Not once does God send a person to Hell, but the person is the one that chooses Hell over accepting Jesus as their savior. 

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."

All of these things that God has listed in this verse will send a person to Hell, being their own actions, and every person has committed at least one of these sins, and many more. God doesn't force us to sin, we choose to, and God doesn't interfere with that because we have our own free will to choose as we please. Though, when we choose to sin, we choose an eternity in Hell. 

John 5:29 - "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

At the end of our lives, we will all be sent to an eternity, which we have chose for ourselves. If a person has chosen to live an evil life and not ask forgiveness from God, they will be sent to Hell, and God Himself can't change this, because this is the law that He set forth for the world. Before we die, we must choose to accept Jesus, so that we can live in Heaven. 

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

God says that whoever asks for forgiveness will be forgiven. Just like it is our choice to live evil, it is also our choice whether we choose to live for God. God isn't going to force us to live one way or the other. We have to come to Him willing to live for Him. All sins have to be left behind before He will save us. I learned this the hard way. I tried to get right with God, but I also wanted to keep my old sins with me. That's not how God works. He wants the ones that are willing to give up what they love to serve Him, and His word.

Everyone in the world needs to decide today what they want their eternity to look like. Sin may seem like the cool thing now, but when eternity comes, it's going to be the biggest regret in a person's mind. God is willing to save anyone who will come to Him today, and if the person is willing, He will not turn them away. Decide for yourself today if sin is worth an eternity in Hell, and if it isn't for you, look to God. He is the way to get to Heaven, the truth that will show you that way, and the life that will be given to you in Heaven. 

Beware of Cavities

Our teeth are something that needs to be taken care of every single day. They need to be flossed and brushed, and mouth wash can be used to add even further care. If teeth are taken care of as they should, they can work against cavities, and they can be built up to be very strong. 

On the other hand, if our teeth are not taken care of every day, they can develop cavities, and other serious damage. After this damage has been done, toothpaste, floss, and mouth wash is not able to fix that damage. At that point, teeth may have to be pulled, or a dentist will need to drill the cavity out of the tooth. 

Our relationship with God is the exact same concept. If we daily care for our relationship with God; praying, reading our Bible, witnessing for Him, etc. the connection we have with God will grow to be very strong. 

Contrary to living for God, if we don't care for our relationship with God daily, and we keep sin in our lives, cavities will be created, or in this sense, damage to our spiritual life. After the damage of sin has been done, reading our Bibles, or witnessing will not be able to change what has been done in the past, and it surely won't take it away. At that point, the dentist, our Heavenly Father has to step in, and we have to repent of our sins. Repentance is the only thing that will take the sins away. 

Unfortunately, while on this Earth, sin will not be forgotten. God will forgive, but until we die, we have to live with what sins we commit while in the world, which is why it is so important to stay away from sin. Even though it may be forgiven, sin has the possibility to follow us the rest of our days. Sin has the power to permanently damage our lives, and it can be out of our control, much like our teeth that can't be fixed once they are gone. 

Having sin in our lives brings more problems than luxuries. It may not be instant damage, but be sure that sin will have its consequences at one point or another. Sin builds up until it turns into something much worse. Don't let sin damage your life, take care of your sin from the start, and let God cleanse you. 

Honoring God's Forgiveness

Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God."

God's forgiveness is unbelievably incredible. The Bible tells us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God sent His only son to die for us, people that sin against God daily. What could be more selfless than that? He looks past all of our failures, and has mercy on us. Once saved, God takes away all of the sins from our past, and sets aside a place for us in Heaven. 

God makes receiving forgiveness from Him very simple. All that has to be done is a person asking God to forgive them, and He will. The bad thing about forgiveness being so simple is the fact that people take advantage of God's great mercy.

God's forgiveness is something that should be treasured, but so many people use it to their own advantage. Some will ask God to forgive them, and once He does, they will go back to their sinful ways. I have to point the finger at me first on this. Like in the book of Hosea, Gomer was a prostitute, and God ordered Hosea to take her as a wife. God gave Gomer a great opportunity to live for God, but instead, she went back to her sinful ways. God saves us, in hopes that we will live for Him. It shouldn't be a question if we live for Him or not, especially after thinking about what He has done for us.  

We as Christians should never take God for granted. He has done more for us than we could ever imagine. We wouldn't treat a person bad if they were to save us from getting hit by a car, so why would we treat God bad when He saved us from an eternity in Hell? God's forgiveness is great, and is something that should be praised. It is what will lead us to Heaven one day, and it shouldn't be taken lightly. 

God Stretches Out His Forgiveness To Gomer

In the book of Hosea, God tells Hosea to go find a wife, who happened to be a woman of whoredoms. Hosea journeyed, and found Gomer, who in other words was a prostitute, living a life of sin, and took her as his wife. Gomer became pregnant, and had a son, Jezreel. Following Jezreel, Gomer gave birth to a daughter, Loruhamah, and a son, Loammi. Gomer soon began overwhelmed with the responsibilities of her new life, and began to feel like her family was holding her back. She missed her old life that consisted of doing what she wanted, a life where she didn't have to worry about what God wanted of her, or what Hosea expected of her. She soon returned to the ways of her past life, leaving Hosea to solely raise the children. Hosea deeply missed Gomer, because he had grown to love her. God soon came unto Hosea, telling him to go find Gomer, and bring her back home. Hosea did as he was told, and brought her back, and loved her just as before.

Much like the majority of the stories that we read in the Bible, the story of Hosea and Gomer has more than one lesson that can be learned.

1) God's Forgiveness/Mercy: Gomer lived a very sinful life against God, yet, God was very merciful toward her. God allowed Gomer to be the wife of a Godly man, and receive the blessing of children, something that some would love to have, but is not given from God. Even with all of the great things that God placed in Gomer's life, she did not appreciate it, and chose to return to a life of sin. Though, once again, God showed Gomer mercy. Gomer didn't necessarily deserve God's mercy, but He gave it to her, in hopes that she would better her life, and choose to live for God.

2) Following God's Love: Hosea was no doubt hurting when Gomer left him, though, instead of becoming overwhelmed with anger or dismay toward her, he mimicked God's love, and continued to care for her. Hosea did not hesitate when God told him to go bring Gomer back home. Hosea brought Gomer home, and showed her the love that he had always felt for her. Hosea was so forgiving because the love of God lived in his heart, and he followed God's mercy by giving Gomer another chance.

God's forgiveness is extraordinary. He continues to show mercy over and over again, even after we fail him daily. God wants us to mimick His love, and show mercy and forgiveness to one another. We have all sinned, and no one is above another. God has given us chance after chance to repent of our sins, and because He had done this for us, we should do this for others as well in our lives. Due to our sinful ways, God sometimes has to let us go our own ways, but he won't do this without a fight. Some people get so overwhelmed with sin that they never accept God's forgiveness. In the same way, sometimes, we can give chance after chance before it begins hurting our own relationship with God. We must figure out for ourselves when giving another chance to someone is not God's will. Living for God is all about following His footsteps, and forgiveness and mercy is a huge part of this, and we must use it to the best of our abilities.