Christ is Born!
“There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” These words uttered by Roosevelt in the 1932 Presidential election have taken on a life of their own, essentially saying that fear is unnecessary, crippling, and for those who haven’t matured enough to realize that everything is possible. Christians however know that fear has a purpose.
In our reading today our Lord outlines what awaits for those who turn their backs on Him through persisting in sin. He is not using scare tactics, but, as a loving Brother, trying to get us safely home to His Fathers house. Yes, hell exists, as much as we would prefer that it did not, and what’s worse, we live everyday with the very real possibility that we could be on the road there through our actions. This is a good, holy and healthy fear to have. If I truly love my beloved I will take Him seriously when He tells me to take the consequences of my actions seriously. I do not want to be parted from Him through my sinful choices.
Today, take a few minutes to make peace with Hell. Come to terms with the fact that the Lord loves you enough to let you choose to either go with Him or to go away from Him. Let CS Lewis help frame the question for you:
“In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell, is itself a question: What are you asking God to do? To wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them? They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does.”– The Problem of Pain 1940.
Christ is Born!
