And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (KJV)
Audio version available here.
Our children love to snuggle with both mommy and daddy. Even our son, who is all boy, loving swords and basketball and Legos, likes to be close to us. It is natural for children to want to be near their parents, and few things are as hurtful to a child as separation from a parent for any reason.
We learn in the first chapter of John that God is light. References to darkness, therefore, are about utter separation from God. Think about that for a moment. Try to imagine being separated from God forever and never feeling His presence or His love. Imagine knowing that there is nothing you can do to enter into His presence again and that the cold darkness will never end. Ever. Truly, there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
It is worth contemplating hell, if only because it causes us to run toward our Father, Whose arms are open and waiting for us. It is good for us to long for His Presence and to want to be ever closer to Him. It is, after all, what children do.
Father, I want to be closer to You today. I am deeply sorry for the things I have done that have pushed me away from You. I reject everything in my life that could separate me from You and run with my all my heart toward You. In the name of Jesus, my life and my light, I pray. Amen.
Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins
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