I got a bit of a surprise hot seat this morning. As I drove Kathy to work and turned a corner, her travel mug tipped over and dumped some hot coffee into the driver’s seat. It wasn’t hot enough to burn me, but it was surprising, to say the least.
Now, of course, the term hot seat is usually applied to being put into an uncomfortable, pressured situation where you are being interrogated or criticized. It was also once a euphemism for the electric chair. My hot seat didn’t compare; it was far more literal.
There is a very real high-pressure hot seat coming for non-believers. It’s a thread that runs throughout the Bible, here are a couple of examples.
There are many more, Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 35:21-46, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 and so forth.
Wanting to become a Christian to escape the hot seat of God’s judgment and the fires of hell is a good reason, and it has motivated many people. Yet, if that’s all it is, an escape, are you truly saved?
Only God can know, but if your relationship doesn’t expand into knowing Him, loving Him, obeying Him and wanting to be with Him, you might want to examine your heart.
Being a Christian is so much more than just escaping the hot seat and the fires. It’s about a love deeper than any other and a desire to be like the one we love.
It’s a new birth and a second chance. It’s a new life eternally. It’s blessings beyond measure, although some won’t be realized in this earthly life.
Our faith is radical and countercultural. It’s hated by those who don’t believe, just as our Lord was hated. It may bring hardship and persecution. Yet, it’s worth it all.
It’s your choice, face the hot seat on your own merit (of which you have none) or bypass it with the imputed righteousness of Jesus.
Choose wisely.
Be blessed
Kevin