Enjoy: to find or experience pleasure for oneself
Journey: traveling from one place to another, a passage or progress from one stage to another
About 6 months ago I heard a statement when it comes to the Christian way of living that has impacted me greatly and allowed me to walk in deeper freedom and excitement in this life. The statement is this: “Enjoy the Journey.” In the busyness of life how often does our attention get fixed on the end result? We rush to get things done, only to end up beaten down and dog tired. What if I told you that the pleasure and treasure in this life is not in the end product, but in the journey? Give me the next few minutes to help get your mind caught up to the reality that we are seated with Christ, that we really are lacking nothing, and that the things of this world have been redeemed and are meant to be enjoyed!
I want to teach you a four-letter cuss word. F-E-A-R! Fear is a power source for life and not a healthy one. It effects how we make decisions and how we choose to view this life. It prevents us from fully enjoying the journey. What do Christians fear the most? Death of a loved one? Bankruptcy? Divorce? Or how about another four-letter word that has been misused and misinterpreted behind pulpits for centuries. The good ole H-E-Double hockey sticks. HELL! How many of you chose to follow Jesus (as much as we can choose Him, He chose us first. The good news is that you were not the last kid picked at kickball in the Kingdom) because you didn’t want to go to hell? Was fear a motivator in your decision to follow Jesus? I want you for a moment to try and picture what hell looks like in your mind… do you see fire? Some big scary devil looking thing? People screaming because God is tormenting them constantly? Do you mind if I let you in on a little not so secret thing? All of the pictures and images of hell that are depicted for us to see came from Renaissance Art. And it’s all Bull#%$@. “But Jesus preached on Hell more than anybody!” (you might think). Well my fear mongering blood thirsty brothers and sisters in Christ let me enlighten you for a moment. When the bible was translated into English they used the word hell like a semi-automatic rifle and just sprayed the Old and New Testament with it. There are 4 words in scripture that were all translated as hell. I will give a list of those words and a brief description of each of them. Please keep an open mind and heart. Some of you are about to lose your greatest evangelism tool, fear of hell.
1. Strong’s 7585 – Sheh-ole (grave, used 31 times in scripture); The people who lived in the Old Testament had no idea of the hell that we think of. They borrowed their idea of afterlife from the Egyptians (remember slavery for 400 years?), and it was just grave, not fiery inferno, cross of Jesus laying over the “Gap” hope your feet don’t catch on fire when you walk across type of thinking.
2. Strong’s 1067- Gheh-en-nah (valley of Hinnom, used 12 times in scripture) Some kings of Judah sacrificed children in this place and so as time progressed Gehenna became good for nothing but to become the local trash dump in Jerusalem. It remains to this day. If you were poor in Jesus day and couldn’t afford a tomb you buried your family in Gehenna. The sound of weeping would fill this place! Gehenna was also the local hangout for stray dogs and one had to be careful for their gnashing of teeth! When Jesus used this term in scripture, He was not talking about life later. He was talking about the here and now. That your life, my life, the lives of the religious idiots who lived in His day, we all run the risk of our life looking and smelling like Gehenna if we don’t love. Also, they used to burn sulfur in Gehenna (trash dump) to help keep the smell down in town.
3. Strong’s 86 – Hades (place of departed souls, used 10 times in scripture) For those of you deeply desire people to burn for all of eternity then this word is your best shot to draw some theological nonsense conclusion about what “HELL” should look like. Keep in mind though that in Luke 16:19-31, the rich man and Lazarus story, they could still see each other, and really the Only time that Jesus told someone that they would go to Hades is when a rich man refused to give and share with the poor.
4. Strong’s 5020 – Tartaros (The deep abyss of hades, a prison for Titans of Greek mythology. Used 1 time in scripture) In 2 Peter 2:4 we find that the word hell again, this time referring to the place where God sent angels when they sinned. This place is not meant for humans nor do humans go there.
Hell is real now, and it is also real after we die, but Jesus was way more concerned with the now. How is your life affecting those around you? Does your life smell like sweet incense in the presence of the Father or does it smell like hell (Gehenna)? Does your family life look like heaven or hell (Gehenna- a trash dump)? Are you going to heaven but making everyone’s life hell on your way?
I am truly sorry if your conversion to Christ came at the expense of you living in fear of hell, or of a God who wants to punish you for all of eternity if you screw up. This is not the God that we serve. If history and ancient covenants are ignored when we read scripture, we will always see a blood thirsty, bi-polar, monster God. The days of using fear to convert people to Christ are dying, and the next generation is waking up to the falsehoods spewed out by those that came before us. This life is not about just getting to heaven someday, or “walking the tightrope” (The Greatest Showman, if you have not seen it yet, DO IT! Enjoy the Journey). This life is about bringing heaven to every place that we see hell here on earth. Like it or not this world is getting better from both a Christian and Secular perspective. Poverty levels are dropping. Clean drinking water is going places it never has before. Fathers and Mothers are choosing family versus flings! I could go on but will save that topic for another blog in the future.
So now that you have transitioned out of fear and are fully soaked and immersed in love lets set you free to enjoy the journey. Take your kids to see a movie; enjoy the journey. Find a weekend to get away with your spouse and get lost in intimacy; enjoy the journey. When your foot starts tappin’ to a favorite song, get up and dance like David; enjoy the journey. When your car breaks down and you don’t have money to fix it, praise him anyway; enjoy the journey. When that new micro-brew comes out, have a pint with the boys (or gals); enjoy the journey. When you see someone hurting or in pain, give your time knowing that the Jesus who lives in you wants to help; enjoy the Journey. Ask questions about scripture, it’s ok; enjoy the journey. When a loved one dies, cry and mourn, this is also ok; enjoy the journey. Give to the poor; enjoy the journey. Find somewhere to serve like Jesus; enjoy the journey. Jesus is everywhere and is holding everything together (Col 1:17). He has always been more concerned with how we journey verses where we will end up. If we Journey well, we will have no fear about the future, nor will we wish it comes before it is time. There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay here as long as possible, to continue to love family and friends, to watch your children grow, to share the Good news, to enjoy the world (Kosmos) which the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost redeemed on and through the cross…
1 Corinthians 10:31 (Passion Translation): “Whether you eat or drink, live your life in a way that glorifies and honors God”
ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!
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