It's better than Hell

This whole year at church our pastor is preaching the ENTIRE book of Genesis.  Including this past weekend the "Edomite phone book" Genesis 36. From this text our pastor pulled out the fact that even though this entire family unit did NOT follow God, they did have riches.  God did give them things, they just chose not to live for God or about Gods business, our pastor called this "common grace".  

Common Grace is what we all receive by being allowed to breath, work, play and acquire riches here while on this earth. Every human being is given common grace. But with common grace your ability for eternal life with God is non-existent.  This is where saving grace comes in.  Jesus died for our sins so that we may have eternal life, all for the asking by repenting of our sinful lifestyle and changing our behavior. 

So why did this hit me so? Because he went on to talk about complaining. We as Christ followers complain because we don't have....XYZ but the non-believer does have XYZ.  God grants common grace to all....BUT saving grace is given to few Matthew 7: 21-23 

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

 

Also James 4 where I have been stuck for a week now makes even more sense. 

You adulterous people,don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world (just wanting common grace) becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But HE gives us more grace (saving grace) 

I also have been marinating on the early verse in James 

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  

So as he ended the sermon he reminded us that what we are going through on this earth is better than Hell. 

So the next time I start to say but why God?  I will remember 1 Peter 1:24-25

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.