This is a long read. Great story though. This is one of the stories I was assigned to read in my last prison ministry. Woke up this morning it was on my heart. Maybe it will reach someone it was supposed to
I would like to share a story with you. It is not a true story … at least I do not think it is … but it makes an important point so please give me your attention.
The setting for this story is Hell. The time: nearly two thousand years ago, shortly after Jesus was resurrected. Keep in mind that at that time eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ resurrection and His message of salvation were spreading rapidly across the ancient world.
The legend tells us that one day Satan called a meeting of his demons to discuss how they could stop this trend and prevent people from embracing the Good News. “What can we tell these humans,” asked the devil, “to convince them to abandon God and return to the path of destruction?”
Almost immediately, one demon spoke up: “Let’s tell people that God does not care about them and that He has abandoned them! That has always worked in the past.”
The devil shook his head. “No,” he said, “they will never believe that, not after He sent His Son to save them. Now that Jesus has sacrificed himself for them, no one will ever again believe God does not care about these humans... That won’t do.”
Another demon shouted out: “Let’s convince them that there is no God, that He is not real, that it is all a big myth.”
The devil quickly replied: “I cannot see that working very well, at least not for most people. Evidence of God’s presence is all around them. Almost everywhere they look they see His hand. His name is even written on their hearts – all of them have a longing for Him that they cannot explain.” The devil stopped and shook his head, “No, except for a handful the most arrogant humans, most will see right through that.”
A third demon spoke, “Let’s tell people that following the Jesus is dangerous. Let’s tell them that they will be hated and rejected and ridiculed. Let’s tell them that their families will scorn them and that they will risk persecution.”
The devil immediately rejected this idea as well. “Jesus has already told them that! They do not care. Even these humans, as petty and small minded as they are, can see that this is a small price to pay for something worth more than all the treasures of the world. That will never do.”
A fourth demon spoke up: “Let’s tell them that life is all about finding personal happiness. Let’s tell them that God’s purpose for their life is that they are happy and content. Once they believe that, we can convince them that they will find happiness in money, fame, power, and romance.”
At first the devil seemed to like this idea, but then he thought better of it and shook his head no. “That might work for a little while,” he sighed, “but as soon as they get a taste of these things, they will quickly realize that money, fame and the rest are only empty promises that cannot bring real happiness. Once that happens, they will turn toward God with even more intensity than before. No, that won’t do either.”
A great silence fell across the gathering and in all of Hell there was not a sound.
Finally, one demon raised his head, “what if”, he whispered, “we let them believe that God is real, that He loves them and cares for them? What if we let them think that there is hope for each of them through Jesus? When they come to recognize the emptiness of wealth and power, we will not argue. And when they decide that they need to turn to God we will even agree… but THEN we should whisper in their ear: ‘Yes, you should turn to God… but not today. Today you are busy. Today there are other obligations. You will have plenty of time tomorrow. There is always tomorrow.’”
According to the legend, it was then that Satan smiled. “That will do,” he said. “There is always tomorrow. They will believe that.”
What about you? Are you still waiting for tomorrow?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I would like to share a story with you. It is not a true story … at least I do not think it is … but it makes an important point so please give me your attention.
The setting for this story is Hell. The time: nearly two thousand years ago, shortly after Jesus was resurrected. Keep in mind that at that time eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ resurrection and His message of salvation were spreading rapidly across the ancient world.
The legend tells us that one day Satan called a meeting of his demons to discuss how they could stop this trend and prevent people from embracing the Good News. “What can we tell these humans,” asked the devil, “to convince them to abandon God and return to the path of destruction?”
Almost immediately, one demon spoke up: “Let’s tell people that God does not care about them and that He has abandoned them! That has always worked in the past.”
The devil shook his head. “No,” he said, “they will never believe that, not after He sent His Son to save them. Now that Jesus has sacrificed himself for them, no one will ever again believe God does not care about these humans... That won’t do.”
Another demon shouted out: “Let’s convince them that there is no God, that He is not real, that it is all a big myth.”
The devil quickly replied: “I cannot see that working very well, at least not for most people. Evidence of God’s presence is all around them. Almost everywhere they look they see His hand. His name is even written on their hearts – all of them have a longing for Him that they cannot explain.” The devil stopped and shook his head, “No, except for a handful the most arrogant humans, most will see right through that.”
A third demon spoke, “Let’s tell people that following the Jesus is dangerous. Let’s tell them that they will be hated and rejected and ridiculed. Let’s tell them that their families will scorn them and that they will risk persecution.”
The devil immediately rejected this idea as well. “Jesus has already told them that! They do not care. Even these humans, as petty and small minded as they are, can see that this is a small price to pay for something worth more than all the treasures of the world. That will never do.”
A fourth demon spoke up: “Let’s tell them that life is all about finding personal happiness. Let’s tell them that God’s purpose for their life is that they are happy and content. Once they believe that, we can convince them that they will find happiness in money, fame, power, and romance.”
At first the devil seemed to like this idea, but then he thought better of it and shook his head no. “That might work for a little while,” he sighed, “but as soon as they get a taste of these things, they will quickly realize that money, fame and the rest are only empty promises that cannot bring real happiness. Once that happens, they will turn toward God with even more intensity than before. No, that won’t do either.”
A great silence fell across the gathering and in all of Hell there was not a sound.
Finally, one demon raised his head, “what if”, he whispered, “we let them believe that God is real, that He loves them and cares for them? What if we let them think that there is hope for each of them through Jesus? When they come to recognize the emptiness of wealth and power, we will not argue. And when they decide that they need to turn to God we will even agree… but THEN we should whisper in their ear: ‘Yes, you should turn to God… but not today. Today you are busy. Today there are other obligations. You will have plenty of time tomorrow. There is always tomorrow.’”
According to the legend, it was then that Satan smiled. “That will do,” he said. “There is always tomorrow. They will believe that.”
What about you? Are you still waiting for tomorrow?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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