Watch Your Words
When I was younger, we would use phrases like “go fly a kite,” or “go take a long walk off a short pier” when we were angry or frustrated with someone. As adults, we may, in a heated moment, tell someone to “go to hell.” But having a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and being fully aware of the scriptures, this is a phrase we should all delete from our memory bank.
1 Cor. 2:9 says of heaven, “…no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we became in agreement that God has instructions for us. The bible is His word; we cannot pick and choose which parts we like and those we don’t. If we accept that there is a place waiting for us that is magnificent and beyond our comprehension, then we must also accept that the bible is very clear about a place for those who deny God…hell. Matthew 8:12 describes hell is an eternal place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matt. 18:8 says “everlasting fire.” Revelations 20:10 says those in hell will be “tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Those are some very descriptive words and I know for certain that I don’t ever want to experience that.
That being said, if we are believers living to be Christ-like, we should love others and not ever wish upon them such a demise. Going to hell for eternity is much worse than ANYTHING someone might have said or done to me that caused me to be angry in a moment. In my past, I might not have given a second thought for uttering those words, but I’m accountable to the truth now. The bible has many scriptures that warn against what we speak, especially in Proverbs. Vs. 10:9 says “In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”
Be mindful of your words to others. Telling someone to “go to hell” is no euphemism. It is blunt and it is harsh. I know some will say that it’s just a phrase, “I don’t really MEAN it.” But again, we can’t pick and choose the scriptures we like. The bible says in Matt. 12:36, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” Empty…words they didn’t mean.
Go back to your childhood and remember what your mother probably told you a thousand times, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”