Brrrrrr! (Joe Widick)

Tonight's  article is again penned by my dear friend, Joe Widick. Joe taught with me at Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, Tennessee and later became the high school administrator. I was blessed to teach his three children and even teach with one, Lane, here at WCS. Joe is married to the lovely Elaine and serves full time as an elder and minister with the Maple Hill Church of Christ. Prayers, please, for me in Vietnam!

It is Tuesday morning as I set down to write this Journey.  The temperature is 20 degrees.  For a change, the sun is actually shining.  That however seems to be something that is going to be short lived.  The weatherman is calling for possible snow showers with accumulation to our south.  I am getting tired of the cold.  I function a lot better on the warm sunny days that I know will eventually come.  I am tired of putting on layers of clothes in order to go outside.  I am tired of scrapping the frost off my truck’s windows.  Did I say I am getting tired of the cold?   Because we live in Tennessee, it may be in the 50’s and sunny by the time you read this.  But today it is cold once again, and I am getting tired of the cold.  

I wonder what it will be like in eternity.  If we are blessed to hear the words of God say; “Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joys of heaven,” will we grow weary of heaven.  I doubt very seriously that one would ever grow tired of being in the very presence of God.  I imagine that we will feel a joy beyond measure to praise our God forever and ever.  Wouldn’t it be grand to be able to talk to some of your Bible heroes and better understand what they endured to be blessed to be in heaven?  Personally I would like to seek out the apostle Paul and listen to him share the intimate details of the events on the road to Damascus.  

Unfortunately not all will be allowed into the joys of heaven.  For some will hear on that fateful day, “Depart from me…”  The heartbreak of hearing those words would be hard to describe.  Will one know and understand why they missed the joys of heaven?  Will souls long for a second chance to get it right?  Will there be eternal discussion about how one thought that God would never send me to this place.  I thought God was all about love.  Will those in hell try to do better with their eternal soul hoping against all hope that one day they too will be able to join the blessed in heaven?  Will one remember all the missed opportunities to do well and make a positive impact on people’s lives?    I believe that Hell is a real place, prepared for the devil and those who in life choose to follow his ways.  I believe that on the Day of Judgment there will be some surprises.  Surprises about who is sent to eternal punishment.  I believe being a Christian, a baptized believer does not give me a free pass to do as I please on this earth and then simply walk into heaven.  I believe in God’s grace and am thankful for it.  I also believe that I cannot continue to sin as a Christian so that His grace may abound.  

Did I say that I am tired of the cold?   I wonder after 10,000 years of eternity will one would say I am tired of this lake of fire and brimstone, or , I am weary of these souls that I am with, I want a change, I want to be with my God.   

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com