Heaven? or Hell? a Soul's Choice

By J.L. Weaversmith

Heaven or hell? It is your choice where your soul will spend eternity. Everyone has a relationship with God, believe it or not. For any relationship to work, the parties involved must have the desire and put forth the effort to make it do so. God loves us beyond measure. He has provided us with a way to spend eternity with Him in splendor and glory that surpasses the imagination.

That is Gods desire and effort. Now it is our turn. We must put forth the effort to follow His detailed instructions and we must show the desire to obtain His promise of a glorious eternity. No one can do it for you, although we can help one another. Eternity is entirely a personal choice--it is your souls choice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490873176

J.L. Weaversmith

J.L. Weaversmith was born and raised in Northwest Georgia. Now retired, the author has two grown children and four grandchildren. This is Weaversmith’s third book.

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HEAVEN? or HELL?

A SOUL’S CHOICE

J. L. WEAVERSMITH

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Copyright © 2015 J. L. Weaversmith.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7316-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7317-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015903953

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/16/2015

CONTENTS

Preface

I Don’t Want To Be An Abomination

I Don’t Want To Be That Dumb!

I Don’t Want To Be Ashamed

I Don’t Want To Be Betrayed

I Don’t Want To Be Blamed

I Don’t Want To Be Equal

I Don’t Want To Be Ordinary

I Don’t Want To Be Modern And In Style

I Don’t Want To Be Immature

I Don’t Want To Be A Pessimist

I Don’t Want To Be Unhappy

I Don’t Want To Be A Quitter

I Don’t Want To Be Stressed

I Don’t Want To Be A Timekeeper

I Don’t Want To Be A Loser

PREFACE

Adults are always asking children, What do you want to be when you grow up? Their answers are as numerous as grains of sand in an hourglass. Doctor, lawyer, mommy, fireman, ballerina and the list goes on and on. I don’t think anyone has ever asked the question, What do you NOT want to be when you grow up? That is until now. Today, right now, that is exactly what I am asking of you.

I want you to know that this is a book for Christians and those who are not. It is not meant to be a for ladies only book. Yes, I have put down some thoughts from a woman’s perspective, but I am writing about things that all Christians struggle with…being human. I am writing about things with which I struggle with the hope of getting a grasp or better perspective how to handle them. Just maybe I can help someone else along the way.

Before I begin, I want to make a few things perfectly clear. I do not hold some big theological degree. I am not a medical professional. I attended Freed-Hardeman when it was a two year college and not a 4 year university. I am by no means an expert on anything except living my life and the choices I make for myself. But, this I do know. God is real, exists and only by His will and loving grace we are here at this moment. I know the Bible is His word and His will, revealed to mankind through Holy Spirit inspired writers. I know God means what He says and says what He means. We are not to add anything to His word, we are not to leave out anything in His word and we are not to twist His word around to fit our petty wants, wishes, agendas or because we can. I know The Almighty sent His precious Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for our sins only because He loves us so much. I know God gave us the free-will to choose who we want to be and what we want to believe. I know He loves us beyond measure. I know He will never forsake us, but He will never make us do anything other than what we choose for ourselves.

All the Bible passages I have used are from the New King James Version unless otherwise stated. I am more familiar with this version and quiet frankly, I just like it better.

Anything and everything I am going to say here, please don’t take my word for it. LOOK IT UP! See for yourselves if the things I am saying are true. In matters concerning eternity and the soul, always check things out. Don’t have your ears tickled just to have something make you feel good. Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4:2-4

If you have not realized it by now in your life, there are people out there that will take advantage of you, whether by greed, their own misunderstandings, or to be just plain mean. They will tell you anything or will lead you astray for the sake of the money they can make. The only person you can trust with where your soul will spend eternity is God because He will be the Judge.

My mother told us in our growing up years, Your wants won’t hurt you. I am finding that to be truer each day I spend upon this earth. Please don’t be taken in by everyone that comes along trying to make you feel good. Always see if the things they are telling you are true. Please make sure that everything can be backed up by the word of God.

After all is said and done, God is the only one who truly knows us. He knows what we think about things, He knows our innermost secrets and He knows what makes us tick. For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he… Proverbs 23:7. So, what is going on in your heart? I am about to reveal some of mine.

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Detective with spy glass

I DON’T WANT TO BE AN

ABOMINATION

I don’t want to be an abomination. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us, These six things the Lord hates, yes seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look; A lying tongue; Hands that shed innocent blood; A heart that devises wicked plans; Feet that are swift to run to evil; A false witness who speaks lies; And one who sows discord among brethren.

To begin with, just what is an abomination? Well, I am going to tell you straight out of a bible dictionary.

ABOMINATION refers to that which is detestable to God. Abomination translates four Hebrew and one Greek Word. Ba’ash, stink, refers to that which become odious, despised, or hated as water polluted by dead fish. Israel became a stinking abomination to the Philistines. Shiqquts, a detested thing and shaquats to be filthy refer to that which cannot be accepted in worship or to eat. It often refers to idols. Piggul stinking, rotten refers to meat unfit for sacrifice. To ebah, offensive, detestable is the most common word for abomination.

Webster’s dictionary says it is great disgust and loathing to cause great hatred. Now, if those things mentioned in Proverbs are an abomination to God, something that makes Him sick and is not acceptable in worship, shouldn’t we try with all our might to avoid them? I can’t even begin to imagine how stinky and disgusting something has to be to be an abomination to God. I do know I don’t want any part of it.

Every spring, my husband and son have chicken litter spread on our pastures. That putrid smell literally takes your breath away and not in a good way. Once you have taken that smell in, it lingers in your nostrils for a while. It is totally disgusting. It is decaying, rotting chicken poop. Something like that is what I imagine an abomination is to God. And I certainly don’t want be an abomination in any form or fashion, physically or spiritually, to mankind or especially to God Almighty!

Just look at the things that Solomon says are an abomination to God. First you have a proud look. Now there is a big difference from a proud look verses looking on with pride. I look upon all my family’s accomplishments whether great or small with pride. I am proud of what they have done, can do and will do. I am by no means being boastful or haughty about their accomplishments. I know what amazing people they are and I want them to know I recognize that.

On the other side of the coin, I do not want to ever have a proud look. How do I have a proud look? It all comes back to attitude. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 21:4 A haughty look, a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked are sin. In 21:24, A proud and haughty man ‘Scoffer’ is his name: he acts with arrogant pride. In 28:25, He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered. In Ecclesiastes 7:8, The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

David tells us in Psalms 101:5, whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure. In 119:78, Let the proud be ashamed…

Isaiah gives us a stronger clarification in chapter 13 verse 11. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Paul has some things to say about it in his two letters to Timothy. 1 Timothy 6:3-5, if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. And in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come; for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.

WHEW! That pretty much sums up the world today. As you can see, there is a big, big difference in being proud of others and having a proud look. We must be about doing good deeds and not being arrogant about it. We must be about what is right and acceptable in God’s sight and not being boastful about it.

Now, as we move on to the next abomination, notice if you will that A lying tongue and Bearing false witness are more or less the same thing. Also