MARCH 12,  Galatians 5:19-21

Paul warned those who sinned continuously would be punished in hell! Hell is a terrible place where there is re and pain and gnashing of teeth, signifying perhaps great anguish. And it is a real place.

To help us understand hell is a destination where sinners face undying fire and agony, perhaps God gave us actual examples of cities of Sodom and Gomorrah during the time of Lot – burnt to the ground. The Bible says that ‘the Lord rained... brimstone and fire.... out of the heaven’ and the smoke coming out of the cities were described as ‘smoke of a furnace’ (Genesis 19:24, 28).

To remind man of the horrors of hell, another event quite like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah happened in an Italian city called Pompeii on 24th August 79 AD. Pompeii was wealthy and the inhabitants lived in great sin. Pompeii was one of the larger towns located near the base of a volcano, Mt Vesuvius. On that fateful day, the volcano erupted and rained hot molten ash round the surrounding towns for 6 hours, killing instantly thousands who lived there.

There is really a place called hell. God hates sin and those people who do not turn from their sin will be punished in hell. If you have never asked God to forgive you, cry out to Him now. Tell Him that you are sorry for the all the things that you have done wrong – that is called repentance of sin. Thank God that He loves you and has sent His own Son to die on the cross so that the sins of His people could be washed away. And accept Jesus as the only Lord and Savior of your life.

Thought: Am I saved from hell?

Prayer: (If you’ve already accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior)
Father, I am grateful for the reminder of how much You hate sin and how I must not sin against You. Thank You that Jesus died to save sinners from hell. Thank You for Your love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Prayer: (If you like to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior now)
Heavenly Father, I confess I’m a sinner. On my own I would be lost in hell. Thank You for today’s lesson and the reminder of how much You hate sin. I thank You that Jesus died on the cross to save sinners like me from hell, and I want to accept Him as my personal Lord and Savior, right now. Please forgive me and make me Your child. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.