One Chilly Night
A Christmas Message from Kirk Cameron

One chilly night, after Chelsea and I had tucked our children into bed, we sat by the fire and enjoyed the warmth of its flames as we talked. Fire is so interesting. I could sit and stare at the flames for hours…almost mesmerized by the way they dance and throw off such a warm and inviting heat. As we sat, my mind drifted off to thoughts of the Judgment of God. I was thinking about the fact that fire is God’s chosen method of punishment for those who love their sin and refuse to turn to God for forgiveness.

I tried to imagine how much money it would take to get me to put my hand into the flames. I realized that my hand was precious to me and the pain would be too great. I know that I could not be bribed with all the money in the world. My life is more precious to me than money. When my life is on the line, priorities come into focus real quick.

I couldn’t help but cringe and feel a deep ache in my heart as I thought about how many people will live their lives separate from the grace of God, thinking all is well in their eternal future, when in reality, every time they sin they are storing up wrath for themselves, adding fuel to the fire in which they will burn. If the Bible is true that “all liars will have their place in the Lake of Fire” - the place of eternal torment where the flames are not quenched, and where the torment never ends, then my fireplace has become a preview of my worst nightmare. A nightmare for my unsaved friends and family, for pretending believers, and for millions of souls I’ve never met but are precious to someone, including God. Such thoughts are too painful for me to think about. The despair I feel for the fate of the unsaved is unbearable. Doesn’t God love them? Of course He does; He laid down his life to save them. The real question is, do I love them? If I do, then what am I doing to tell them?

As I sat there, enjoying the quiet time with my wife and the heat of the fire, I determined in my heart to not let this holiday season go by without talking to as many of my loved ones as I can about eternity. How can I smile at my unsaved family members, laugh, eat food, and play games, all the while knowing that unless they repent and place their faith in Christ, they will spend eternity in the eternal flames, and not say something? It is always hard for me to talk with family members about God. I think for most of us, it’s because we love them and don’t want to ruin our relationships by offending them. But if we are truly Christians, and truly love them, we must engage them with the Truth. Our fears don’t matter. Fear is a jab from the Devil, intended to wound us and make us traitors. We must ignore the fears, take courage, put up the shield of faith, and help our loved ones escape the fire by running to the Savior.

This winter, if you have felt cold about sharing your faith, let the heat of your fireplace warm your heart for the lost, and let your love for them fuel your courage and passion to move out of your comfort zone and speak to them about the issues of eternity.