Tuesday, November 29, 2016

blackmailing God

Lewis talks about hell blackmailing heaven today in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

And what he says is true, given a certain set of givens. If some people actually do refuse to accept salvation, and choose hell instead... and they will only accept happiness on their terms, which are not acceptable... and if they then try to steal the joy of the saints in heaven by means of their selfishness... then Lewis is right. The joy of heaven trumps the selfish sins of hell.

I don't pretend to know enough about where everyone will end up to be able to speak to the question with any certainty. My hope, as I've expressed in previous blogs, is that everyone ends up accepting salvation and we all go to heaven, with different rewards for everyone. Those who were faithful with little will be given much. Those who hurt people without remorse will be given little. But, like I've said, we'll see.

In any case, it's important to remember that we're talking about God here. God cannot be blackmailed. For one thing, blackmail usually involves catching someone doing something wrong, and God never does. But you also have to outwit someone to blackmail them. And God can't be outwitted. His plan always encompasses our plan. Without fail. We can't hurt Him, except in hurting ourselves, the way a child can hurt his parent by throwing away his own life.

And that's why it's so important that we ask for wisdom. It's easy to make bad decisions in this life - believe me, I've made many of them. But the amazing thing about God is that He can take even your worst decisions and work them for your good. Sounds impossible.

But with God, all things are possible.

God, thank You for making sense of even messed up lives like mine.