Sunset and North Sister, Sisters, OR
Matthew 10:28 NIV
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
If you wonder why I am such a persistent squeaky wheel about this God stuff, it’s because I can’t bear the thought of you suffering. I may not be able to prevent your suffering on earth, but I sure can help prevent it for your eternity! Truly, there are some folks on earth that I’d rather not hang out with, but that doesn’t mean I want them doomed to hell. If they asked me, I’d tell them too how to spend eternity in Heaven. Ohhh, I can hear you saying, “But Mary, I’m a good person. It’s not like I’m a murderer or something. If God is so loving, He wouldn’t let a good person go to hell.” Your being good doesn’t get you to heaven any more than being bad keeps a murderer out of heaven. In fact, some pretty big names in the Bible like Moses, David, and Paul (when he was Saul) were all murderers and yet, they went on to do great work for the Lord and undoubtedly are in Heaven. Not because they did a lot of sorry-about-that makeup work, but simply because of their belief. Ephesians 2:8-9 confirms, “For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.”
I can hear you again, “But Mary, really? There’s no such thing as hell. It’s a made-up story to keep us in line.” Jesus was pretty clear in Matthew 25:46, “These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.” I was watching a documentary about the tragic fires in Lahaina, HI. A survivor was recounting his terrifying escape. He was surrounded by smoke, fire, and brutal winds stealing away his every breath and he stated, “It was pure hell!” And I thought, no, my friend, that doesn’t even begin to be as bad as hell. For starters, you escaped. There is no escape from hell. An eternal life sentence with no chance of parole confined to a cell where God, light, and hope are just out of reach. There is no hour in the yard, there is no sleep, rest, or moment of peace. All because you decided to reject Jesus. This is why I keep squeaking away, I just can’t bear the thought of any one enduring that when you don’t have to! Romans 10:9 makes it super clear, “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.” It’s a free and clear gift for you, worked off and paid for by Jesus on the cross. Still, the choice is yours to make, but if you are ready so squirt some Divine 3 in 1 oil on my squeaky wheel – pray this following prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer for the first time – then welcome to the Family! Please let me know so I can walk alongside you on this new adventure!
