I watched Mary K. Baxter’s video again on YouTube yesterday. Afterwards, I watched a very profound video from a young woman who was taken by Jesus to see Hell. She came face to face with a former Christian classmate who who died in a car accident. At the end of the video, this gal summarized what being a true Christian means in the most concise and accurate way I’ve ever heard. Some would wonder why I’d be interested in videos of what hell is like. The first time I saw a Christians in hell video, I was shocked and had to investigate. I wondered how it could be possible that a child of God could end up in such a horrific place? And so, I watched and listened intently as tears streamed down my face, to learn all I could about why a child of God could end eternally separated from God and Jesus.
This morning as I was waiting for direction for the Lord giving me my marching orders for the day, I recalled the song, Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God. Most of us Christian brothers and sisters remember singing and or learning the song, a staple as far as church song repertoires. So, I went to Mathew, chapter 6 where Jesus speaks of giving and prayer. If we are sincere, most of us aspire to please God and Jesus. We sing about seeking first the kingdom. Today I pondered the second part of the phrase, His Righteousness. So, what is God;s righteousness?
Immediately, as I asked Jesus, what is your righteousness? He reminded of Mathew chapter 25. Jesus, as judge, gathers His sheep to His right side and goats on His left. The sheep were faithful in seeing and filling the needs of the naked, hungry, the lonely and the imprisoned, but the goats were not. The faithful were rewarded but the unfaithful were cast to hell for eternal fire and brimstone torment.
In another video I watched, a woman who shared seeing two Christian men in torment. During their lives, an alcoholic man asked them for money to take his sick wife to the hospital. They balked and accused him that he would use the money for more alcohol. The wife died and the Christian men paid for their unrighteous judgment of denying aid to the needy person. This should shock us to our senses and wonder, “Have I denied because of my unfair assessment of a need:?
I heard of other Christians who were in hell for unforgiveness. A woman elder of the church, serving the Lord for over 35 years and doing great charitable works ended up in hell. She was bitter about her husband’s pat adulterous affair, refusing to forgive him in her heart.
These videos have seriously influenced the attitudes of my heart as I aspire to be conformed to the likeness of my precious, gentle shepherd, Jesus. He was ever compassionate and never hesitated to heal, forgive and restore, no matter what the condition of a heart.
(I’d also like to mention that I’m seeing brethren defrauding or taking advantage of other brethren due to laziness or non-challance. We are to work with our own hands, (as Paul did) making a living and paying his own way by his labors. We should not be defrauding or taking advantage of each other) 1 Cor. 7:5.1 Thes.. 2:9 Paul mentioned that he labored night and day not to be a financial burden to others. We all likewise should have the same attitude and also also want to help orphans, widows and the disabled.
Since serving Jesus since 1982, and having endured long seasons of terrible pain through illnesses, hardship and loss, I understand that if I am not fastidious about self reflection, my relationship can become hypocritical and shallow. I tend to despise the rut of routine worship and my daily morning prayer is that I’ll not be deceived into believing that I am okay when my heart really is amiss.
After watching these videos of Christians in hell, I am even more serious about self-examination and repentance. I ask Holy Spirit to give me the gift of passion, devotion, ( in spirit and in truth) to Jesus and Father’s kingdom work. Most of all desiring the blesser than the blessing!
What I learned from watching these shocking YouTube videos and understanding the Bible passages about true righteousness is that God is very serious about the intents of our heart. He sees everything we say, do and think. I’m also reminded that every iota of our being and activities is written in our book! This should sober us up to reflect..daily about God’s pleasure of us.
Righteousness is not the outward and robotic adherence to His commandments, but a heartfelt, humble and grateful attitude. Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
And last but not least, God loves a cheerful giver and many of us complain and split scriptural hairs about tithing and offering. If Father has blessed us with substance, (which is all His anyway), we should have a heart of gratefulness, knowing that we are not funding our pastor’s bank account but supporting the poor, needy and those suddenly hit by hard times. If we we sow generously, God will indeed take care of us when we face times of lack. Great is God’s faithfulness.