Spiritual Balance

When I was just a little shaver, no bigger than hop-o’-my-thumb, Mom and Dad took me to church quite regularly.  They were adamant about teaching me right from wrong to the extent of not allowing me to visit those terrible places called, “movie theaters.”

Even though free tickets were given for Saturday morning matinees to each person on the crossing guard squad, which I was a member of in grade school, there was no gray area with Dad.  He wanted me to shun the very appearance of evil, as it were.

I was disappointed not being able to watch Disney or hop-along Cassidy movies, but I didn’t want to go to hell as I thought I might.  I did not disobey my dad.

I envisioned God as someone waiting for me to make a mistake so that He could put a black check-mark next to my name in heaven.  Anyway, that is what I was told would happen by my older siblings.  The truth was certainly exaggerated in order to keep me on the straight and narrow path.

I remember sermons being preached about hell, fire, and brimstone, which indelibly branded my mind.  I tried my best to be good lest I end up in hell, so I watched my “Ps” and “Qs” until my teens.  It was then a new world of discovery raised its ugly head and I began to run from God, trying to find myself and where I belonged.

In my youth, I seldom heard messages about the love of God and that if I slipped and fell, He would forgive my sins.  Emphasis was on DO NOT SIN OR REAP THE CONSEQUENCES!  At least that's the way I remember it. 

Yes, (John 3:16) was preached, but my conception of God was misconstrued, that of fear.  I am not saying that preachers of old should not have taught on the wages of sin leading to death, but the merciful, tenderness of God should have been communicated, more so, to offset the hell and damnation that my young brain was exposed to.

I am sure that today’s rating of some of the sermons preached would have been at least PG (parental guidance).  I respectfully call these types of messages, scar tactics to get a person to serve God.  In any case, they sure scared me.

I truly believe that old time evangelists were God conscious and wanted His will in the lives of people as they painting vivid pictures of the place to shun.  I am sure their aim was to save people from hell.

Perhaps for this reason I find it difficult to totally grasp the love of God as an adult.  No doubt God loves me with a never ending love and is long-suffering and merciful, yet I struggle to understand the depth, breadth, and height of agape love.

In today’s society, this type of teaching does not go over well in my opinion.  As I see it, it is a sore subject with some folks, because people are prone to take a stand against someone telling them what they can and can’t do.  I guess it’s the times in which we live…individuals pushing against authority figures, and the notion that someone is dictating to them how to live.

It has been years since I have heard a message about hell, and that if we sin, this terrible place is where we will find ourselves.  I believe this food for thought concerning hell is needed, inclusive of messages that Jesus Christ is the Savior who delivers us from sin.

The Bible says that we are no longer under the law; we are in the dispensation of grace, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God.  In that He paid the full price for sin through the shedding of His blood on Calvary’s cross, you and I can be set free from the bondage and stigma of sin.

When Jesus becomes our Savior, we need not fear hell, because we become sons and daughters of God Almighty through Jesus Christ.

(Acts 4:12)  “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

If I blow it and sin, the old teaching I received in my youth sometimes kicks in and I wonder, “Am I going to hell?  Will God really forgive me?”  If God does not forgive sin when we stumble and fall, will there be anyone in heaven?

God desires persistence not perfection, because we will never attain this status.  If we fall, He wants us to get up, brush ourselves off, and continue the race.  God forgives sin when we ask Him.  He is our heavenly Father who wants us in heaven with Him. 

There was only one perfect man that walked the earth—Jesus.  We are not perfect, just forgiven.  We learn through life’s experiences how to put off the old ways of the world and walk in newness of life through Jesus; in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

God looks at the heart, (the soul), and sees our true desire to live for Him, not the outside that is fallible.  God sees the mistakes we make through the blood of His dear Son, who freely gave His life for our redemption; for the failures we make.

God wants intimacy with the real you, not someone else you are trying to be.  We must pattern ourselves after the attributes of Jesus Christ, not some great spiritual leader or guru.

(2 Corinthians 5:17), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

When I was standing on the precipice looking into the vastness of past sins, I felt hopeless and alone.  It was at that instant the teachings of my youth flooded my mind and I cried out to God for help.  He was there, took my hand, and led me to a safe haven of refuge and security.

The Lord gave me peace of mind that all things were controlled by Him and not to worry.  Accepting Jesus into my heart was the pivotal moment that changed the rest of my life and the afterlife too.

When I read about the compassion that Jesus had for people and the love He expressed to all He met, I am encouraged that had He not loved me, He would not have died for me.  The Lord desires that all should come to Him and repent of their sins and be born-again.

(John 15:13), “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Though preachers and evangelists bombarded young minds with messages about sin and death, I am persuaded that their intentions were honorable and pure.  They preached what I needed to hear at that time, because I am serving God today.  Everything works together for good.

(Romans 8:28), “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Today’s society needs the teaching that there is a hell to shun and a heaven to gain.  We must not bury our head in the sand or sing Kumbaya, while refusing to listen to sound doctrine like old time Pentecostal teachings about hell, fire, and brimstone.  It is what our soul needs in addition to the teachings of God’s eternal love.  Together they provide spiritual balance.

Written by,
Papa Boyd