Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.  Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.  For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.

 
 
 

Going to Jesus

Daily Thoughts

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Thought for the Evening
11-03

JUST TO ESCAPE HELL?

From a sermon by Preacher Clark at Grandma’s house, 1970
Taken from Gary’s Reel #9, CD #28b, Track 2

Here is a brief scene that transpired during one of Preacher Clark’s Sunday afternoon sermons at Grandma’s house. It will give you an idea of how everyone in those meetings felt free to pitch in at any time with heavenly thoughts stirred up within them by the Spirit. Their love, faith, and liberty not only made those home prayer meetings lively affairs, but they also made them spiritually enriching for those who gathered there. The meaning of the short comments from this scene is clear, and the more thought you give to these comments, the more you may get out of them.

Preacher Clark (during his very lively sermon): “Some people love God just enough that they want to escape Hell.”

Uncle Joe comments: “That’s about it.”

Preacher Clark (continuing): “But there’s not a one trying to escape Hell that’ll ever [do] it.”

Old Brother Carter: “Some of them love God just enough to be miserable.”

There is a lot of godly wisdom revealed in those few sentences.

The fear of God is a wonderful thing, but if a person’s principal motive for serving God is fear of damnation, it is very unlikely that he will escape being damned in the end. At some point, we all must come to love the Lord. “Love never runs out” is one way to translate 1 Corinthians 13:8, and it is a most important point. Other feelings and attitudes, even good ones, can come and go, ebb and flow in the tides of life, but once we come to know God enough to love Him, we cannot be shaken. Love never runs out.

Seek to know God so that your motivation for doing His will is to make Him happy. In such a case, a believer will never run out of oil for his lamp and, so, be left to wander aimlessly in the darkness of this world.

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