HEAD(hed), (n.) 1. the top part of the human body or the front part of an animal where the eyes, nose, east and mouth are. "Your brain is in your head." DIBS(dibz), (n.) 2. a thick, sweet syrup made in countries of the East, especially the Middle East, from grape juice or dates. [Arabic "debs"]--World Book Dictionary, 1976.
"G. K. Chesterton, the "Prince of Paradox," is at his witty best in this collection of twenty essays and articles from the turn of the twentieth century. Focusing on "heretics" - those who pride themselves on their superiority to Christian views - Chesterton appraises prominent figures who fall into that category from the literary and art worlds... those who hold incomplete and inadequate views about "life, the universe, and everything." He is, in short, criticizing all that host of non-Christian views of reality, as he demonstrated in his follow-up book Orthodoxy. The book is both an easy read and a difficult read. But he manages to demonstrate, among other things, that our new 21st century heresies are really not new because he himself deals with most of them." (Goodreads)
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
“Isn’t talking about hell like using a scare tactic to get people into heaven?”
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
-
There are programs today that allow teenagers to experience prison with the intent of saying, “you don’t want to be here.” It is a legitimate scare tactic that helps deter unlawful behavior and not only keeps the peace between citizens, but keeps families together and allows one to enjoy a better life. You should be thankful for programs like this! Who knows the kinds of people you rub shoulders with in this world!
Consider public service announcements like this that were very common years ago:
Are you aware that the number one causes of car accidents are trees?
Did you know that the number one killer in the world is death?
Have you ever seen what happens to a person who did not wear a seat-belt? I have.
He did not go home that night and hasn’t been home since.
When announcements like this are made, nobody complains because of the reality of the situation.
Let’s be clear about one thing. The message of the gospel is not about relocation; that is, being saved from one place to go to another. The message of the gospel is about reconciliation to a person. Mankind has offended God by sin and God wants to save people not merely from the punishment of sin, but from its power as well as its presence. Jesus did not die on a cross to bring people to a place, but to satisfy justice.
Think of it this way: your next door neighbor breaks into your house, what happens? The law steps in and punishes the offender. What about you? You are the victim—how are you compensated? You aren’t; that is, unless you file a civil suit and gain restitution. Only then does the criminal feel the full weight of the punishment due. And what about the breach in relationship that existed between you and your neighbor—how is that repaired?
Man has broken God’s law, which is like saying we have broken into the judge’s house. He is the dispenser of law and justice and there is nobody to step in, but the judge himself—how can one cry for mercy and grace when the relationship is broken? He cannot let a criminal go unless justice is satisfied.
Eternity is about enjoying God forever, or experiencing His wrath forever—either way, a person will still get God. Those who repent will miss the hell that is all God’s wrath, will enjoy life as one free to do everything he or she should, and can look forward to the day of freedom from the presence of sin. Those who will not repent are condemned already and will receive the wages due them.
There are those who deny this truth who will one day meet it head-on.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18)
Legend has it that the astronomer Ptolemy (1st century A.D.) suggested that falling stars were caused by the gods moving in the heavens, thus knocking stars out of their places. Somehow people reasoned that that if the gods were moving, they must be getting close to earth so they would lift their "prayers" or "wishes" (literally, "desires") whenever they saw the stars falling in hopes the gods would notice and grant a favorable answer. But how does one wish on falling star? Once you see it, it's gone before the wish or prayer can be made! The answer is simple: meteor shower. That's how to get your wish. Mrs. Ann Hodges had a wish fall right into her lap. Sort of. In 1954 Mrs. Hodges was sleeping on the couch when a 8 1/2 pound meteorite fell through her house and into her living room where it bounced off the radio and struck her left hip leaving her with a bruise. Not sure what she was wishing, but that's not how to do it. Epictetus hel...
“Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?” EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.3.6 b –8
