I don’t normally find myself dwelling on God’s eternal judgment, but I found the description of judgment in verse 9 worthy of contemplation.
[God] will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed (8-10a).
Everlasting destruction… it is amazing how descriptive two words can be. Everlasting… a Thesaurus gives these synonyms: eternal, endless, ceaseless, never-ending perpetual, unending forever…
Shut out from the presence of the Lord… this phrase drove most of my meditation. I wondered what it would be like to be shut out of God’s presence. No grace, no mercy, no godly intervention and no hope for any of these. And this, too, would be forever.
Together these paint a sad picture for those who not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Suddenly my devotion took a sharp turn. I found myself being ‘oh so thankful’ for Jesus and my salvation. How about you?
Lord, thank You for saving me. I don’t know why I am so blessed, but I am thankful I am. Praise You, Lord… Amen.
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