It’s Hot… But Not That Hot, A Wake-Up Call from the Heat

I was working on a deck today, it was hot, like H-E double hockey sticks hot. I was trying to keep enough fluids in my body so I didn't cramp up or pass out. I only worked for 4 hours in full sun, but it felt like an eternity.

St. Louis heat is no joke. If you’ve walked outside, you know exactly what I mean. The moment you open the door, it hits you like a wall — thick, heavy, suffocating. You break a sweat just walking to the mailbox. The AC can’t keep up. Tempers run short, power grids strain, and everyone’s praying for a breeze and a break.

But as miserable as this heat wave has been, I’m here to tell you: this isn’t even close to Hell.

I don’t say that to be dramatic. I say it because sometimes God uses physical things to wake us up to spiritual realities. And in the middle of this sweltering Missouri summer, I wonder if this oppressive heat might just be a warning siren to a much greater danger — the eternal kind.

Jesus didn’t shy away from talking about Hell. In fact, He warned us about it more than anyone else in Scripture. Not to scare us, but to save us. In Luke 16, he tells the story of a rich man who died and was “in torment in Hades” (v. 23). The man cried out, begging for just a drop of water to ease the agony on his tongue, as he was consumed by the flames.

A drop of water. That’s how desperate he was. That’s how real Hell is.

And here's the truth that may make you uncomfortable: Hell is hotter, darker, lonelier, and more terrifying than anything we could ever experience on earth. The worst heat index reading in St. Louis doesn’t even scratch the surface. Because Hell isn’t just about fire — it’s about eternal separation from the presence of God.

But here's the good news — you don’t have to go there.

Jesus came to rescue us from that fate. He bore the wrath we deserved so we could be forgiven. He suffered so we could be saved. He died so we could live. That’s the gospel.

So when you step outside today and feel the weight of this heat, let it do more than make you uncomfortable — let it make you think. Let it remind you of the urgency of salvation. Let it stir your heart for the people around you who don’t know Christ yet. And let it push you to your knees in gratitude that because of Jesus, Hell is no longer your destination.

Friends, the heat is on. But the clock is ticking. And eternity is real.

Stay cool out there — but more importantly, stay in Christ.

In Love,

Pastor Jody

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (LSB)