August 21 - These Will Go

Matthew 25:31-46

"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46 ESV)

Jesus stated very plainly that in the life to come there would only be two possible destinations for the soul. Heaven or hell. Eternal life or eternal death.

The thought of hell can be pretty crazy. Most literal interpretations or beliefs are rooted in the idea of a place of fiery torment that burns but does not consume. I don't know what hell will be, but I do know what my capacity for understanding the Scriptures leads me to believe. I believe that hell will indeed be a place of unending torment. It will be so horrible that it will be as if the most anguishing kinds of physical, emotional, and spiritual pain were all rolled into one.

Those who live under the grace and Lordship of Jesus will be spared that agony. They will find eternal life, joy, and peace. Everyone will wind up in one location or the other. There will be no in-between. There will be no other options. All will go somewhere in the life to come.

August 20 - Enter Joy

Matthew 25:14-30

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:23 ESV)

We know joy as a feeling. But what if it was more than that? What if joy was a place too? What if the feeling we have come to know as joy is in fact only a small reflection of a place that we all have the chance to one day live in. I believe joy might be the single greatest word in the English language we could use to describe Heaven.

Jesus' teaching of the parable of ten talents points out several practical life lessons. It also sheds some light on what Christians can expect in the next life. Those who follow Jesus will indeed be one day escorted into the Joy of the Master.

I remember what it was like as a small boy to please my father. It was wonderful. Eternal life with the Master must be something like that. I think it will be like the inexhaustible notion of a job-well-done wrapped in the blissful affection of a loving parent doting on a favored child. It will be joy. One day all who have faithfully followed and served will enter joy.

August 18 - I Don't Know You

Matthew 25:1-13

But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ (Matthew 25:12 ESV)

I don't always answer my phone when it rings. To be honest I just don't really like talking on the phone that much. But most of the time when I don't answer the phone, its because I don't know who is calling.

Jesus' parable of the ten virgins illuminates a similar point. God will turn away those He does not know. That might sound contradictory if you think of it in terms of factual knowledge. I mean, God is supposed to be all-knowing right? But that kind of knowledge isn't what Jesus was talking about.

Centuries ago, especially in the Jewish culture, to know meant more than retaining information. It meant to experience something first hand. Thus, knowing God would mean that you had experienced Him. Experiencing God only happens through His Son, Jesus Christ.