While God is compassionate and willing to forgive anyone of every sin, His wrath and judgement will fall upon those who reject Jesus as the only way to Him (John 3:36). Even though many from the pulpit and the press have tried to reinvent God as a flower-sniffing, fuzzy, frumpy, bearded grandpa, the fact remains that He will ascribe to the unrepentant a place in hell. And even though many with deceived minds have made hell into a social gathering place for those who’d just rather not do ‘the God thing,’ the Bible declares it to be a place of torment and agony, where all inhabitants spend their days weeping and gnashing their teeth. No it is not a loving God’s desire that anyone be banished from Him for eternity - read 2 Peter 3:9 - but make no mistake, a literal hell awaits all those who reject God’s offer of heaven.

     From that same side comes also the discipline of God which falls upon those who have already accepted His grace. When God’s true children begin to act like anything but, He often lays a firm hand of correction upon us. He is unwilling to allow us to continually abuse the grace which cost Him dearly. He is unaccepting of a half-hearted effort on our part to follow His command to become more Christ-like. A couple name Ananias and Sapphira were an early example of God’s stern chastisement upon even His own (Acts 5). And if we fail to take God seriously, our names might just be added to that list as well.

     No one honestly wants to hear about the ‘other side of God.’ But as the Apostle Paul stated, we are obligated to preach and accept “the word of God in its fullness” (Col. 1:25). Though painful as it is, for our own good we must be reminded of the fact that God takes our actions and our inactions seriously. We are not children anymore. No candy flavored coating can make this any easier to swallow. But if we will take our medicine from the hand of a loving Father, we can find healing for our souls.