Will there be partying in hell?

This is the kind of image we’re getting from Hollywood. Drunk, dope-high demons partying with the “sinners”. Sounds fun. Sin IS fun, in the first place and sinners are supposed to just extend it in hell, isn’t it?

My favorite Hollywood interpretation of hell is that Adam Sandler movie, Little Nicky, where he played part angel and part demon — because his father is a demon and the mother is an angel. Only in movies. :D Oh well, I may be biased because I’m an Adam Sandler fan.

We can laugh about those kinds of movies, but let me tell you this: hell can never come close to how Hollywood portrays it. It’s more fun! (Just kidding. ;-) ) Seriously, one of the most unthinkable description in the Bible is that there’s going to be unspeakable sorrow in hell.

Ever experienced being broken hearted? Or felt the sorrow of loosing someone you love? Or the disappointment of not getting that promotion that you’ve longed for? Multiply that by a million times and the sorrow one can experience in hell is just starting. In hell, you’ll eternally regret the bad decisions you made while you had your chance here on earth, because there’s no 2nd chances this time. One will weep because of the sorrow of being separated from their loved ones, for having no one to talk to — for all eternity. The saddest of all, he will feel stupid for not believing in Jesus, for not accepting the free offer of salvation. He must have heard the message while living but didn’t care.

Incidentally, I’m going to talk about “Hell” at Grace Place this Sunday. I only speak once in a while. Why do I always get the saddest topic. :D Just kidding, in fact, I am the one who picked this one. My passion is “evangelism” — for those of you who’s new to that term, it simply means sharing the good news. And yes, there will be good news when we talk about hell.

Safe is dangerous

“Safe” is when you dwell on your comfort zone because — well, it is safe and you are comfortable with being safe. Little did you know that by staying long enough in that zone, you’ll soon stand on dangerous grounds.

“Safe” is when you stopped pushing yourself to the limit because you are afraid of not knowing what will happen if you do.

“Safe” is when you…

* feel comfortable with what you know about your job. You do not try to improve. Time will come, you’ll stand on dangerous ground — everybody will be ahead of you.

* maintain the status quo in your marriage. Nothing special is happening, you just go with the flow of everyday life. Time will come, you’ll stand on dangerous ground — when a problem hits your family, you do not have enough love and closeness with your spouse to keep sailing.

* stay as an employee even if you feel you have the entrepreneurial spirit, because it’s much safer to just receive your monthly salary. Time will come, you’ll stand on dangerous ground — you’ll get burned out and start to hate your job.

* just go to church every Sunday (or every other Sunday for most people) because that’s how you were brought up as a kid. You do not want to make that next step of faith — to have a deeper relationship with Jesus and serve people through the church. Little that you know, you’re standing on dangerous ground. Your half-baked faith is no real faith at all. No unreal faith can save you nor can help you in your daily walk.

Step out of your comfort zones! Feel the discomfort. Feel the pressure. Stretch your limits.

- start learning new skills that will improve you professionally
- start dating your wife again. You were doing it before you got married, why can’t you do it now? Your love will go deeper!
- if you feel that you are gifted with that entrepreneurial spirit, go for it! Plan for that business venture! Start looking for funds. Start reading books and magazines about becoming an entrepreneur.
- make that decision to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus. Start reading your Bible. Start attending a Bible believing church. Start serving God through serving people.

Feel that holy discomfort. When you’re always safe, you’re in danger.

My inspiration for these thoughts:
Luke 19:11-26
“The Purple Cow” by Seth Godin

What “comfort zone” are you protecting? What can you do to go out of it and start doing the uncomfortable and break the status quo?

Envy: part 4

Enjoy God’s goodness to you

It’s definitely not bad to dream of great things in life. But the danger of putting so much thought about those things that you don’t have right now is that you’ll miss the blessings that God has been giving you at present.

Whenever you feel inadequate, wanting for more, you’ll feel insecure. But when you look at what God is doing in your life right now, you’ll feel blessed.

Here are our favorite lines. “I really love my job, BUT I have to have a new boss”. “I love my wife, BUT she needs to change in a lot of ways”. “I like my car, BUT…” Get rid of the “BUT”. Be contented for what you have. Say, “I love my job. Period”. “I love my wife. Period”

At around year 2000 when I decided to become a devoted follower of Jesus, my mantra was “Jesus is enough!”. When trials come, Jesus is enough for me. When I feel I don’t have enough talents, enough money, enough career, I need to be reminded that in reality, what Jesus has given is really enough, more than enough. All others are just bonuses.

“…Our lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others, and they hated us. But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit…”(Titus 3:3-5 NLT) God’s grace is enough.

Enjoy God’s goodness in the here and now. He is enough.

What “buts” do you need to remove?
(I’m encouraging you to participate in the discussion by placing your comments here.)

Envy: part 3

Celebrate God’s goodness to others

What happens when the promotion you’ve been wanting goes to another colleague instead? Your friend just got a raise and bought a new iPod right away while you “suffer” with your generic mp3 player? What if your neighbor recently upgraded their car to a brand new Honda Civic 2007 while your Toyota Corolla XL 1998 craves for a new air con system?

One best antidote to envy is to celebrate the goodness of God to others. Be authentically happy for them. The Bible says “Rejoice with those who rejoice…”. (Romans 12:15a)

Be happy for those who are blessed, because one way or other you too are and will be blessed. That’s what I’m going to talk about tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Enjoy God’s goodness to you

How can you celebrate the goodness of God to others in a practical way?
(I’m encouraging you to participate in the discussion by placing your comments here.)

Envy: part 2

Don’t compare

The number one symptom of envy is comparison. “Mine is better than his” or “mine is worse.”

“He’s got a

* better job,
* or, a better cellphone,
* or, a better spouse,
* or, a better body built (sexier?)
* or, a better car, house”

Or, “Mine is a better job than his…” The list goes on.

The moment you compare yourself to someone, you’ll either feel insecure or proud. If you compare what you have (or what you don’t have) with someone else, you’ll most likely see someone better, then you’ll feel insecure as a result. Or if you’ll see somebody under, pride will start to creep in.

Don’t compare yourself with others. Remember that God uniquely created you. God has loved you unconditionally, sent his Son Jesus to die for you so you can have a life that is secured and blessed. You have no reasons to compare yourself to others because you are unique, incomparable.

Your circumstances in life are unique, too. God has placed you in the situation you are in right now so you can grow. You may not have a “better job”, but God may be teaching you to be patient and to do your best to prepare you for the better things ahead.

Tomorrow: Celebrate God’s goodness to others.

What things or circumstances do you tend to compare yourselves with another person’s?
(I‘m encouraging you to participate in the discussion by placing your comments here.)