Setpember 10th - Reflection

2 Peter 2:1-10a (NRSV)
God judges and rescues

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them - bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment - especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority.

Reflection
God knows how to weed things out. Many chances we are given to turn to our loving Savior. Many chances! But God knows how to weed things out. Weed things out first to persuade us to turn and face our Creator. God tries so many times to save us. We should be embarrassed! But at some point God will weed it all out.

Hell is real. Make no doubt about it. Heed the warnings. Listen to the Word. hell is real and God does not want us to go there. That's why he gave his Son to die on a cross for us. Jesus took on sin, death, and the devil in our stead. But if we refuse to turn to God and accept this gracious gift of love, we choose to leave God. God loves us so much, we are given the choice.

Take the choice and open that door daily to the presence of Christ in your life. You will still sin, but the Teacher will be there to teach you, to lead you, to guide you, to gift you and to send you out in the love that he has shown. It's a new life and an ever changing life that has more meaning than death and hell.

Thanks be to God for the gracious act of sending Jesus and the Spirit to be with us each and every day. Thanks be to God! Forever!

Prayer
Wow! What a gift! As I accept this gift of Love and Life may I use it to your glory...today...tomorrow and forever. --- Amen