"Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern." (Ecclesiastes 12:6 KJV)
"When they arrived he declared, "You know that from the day I set foot in province of Asia until now I have done the Lord's work humbly and with many tears. I have endured trial that came to me from the plots of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for the Jews and Greeks alike - the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus. "And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." (Acts 20:18-24 NLT)
Having been doing this, whatever it might be, seemingly for decades, I have made up my mind that it is really not that I must do this, but that it just feels right to be stretched and challenged to experience the joy, mystery, and surprises, from whatever it is that is shown to me, it is specifically mine! That doesn't mean that it is not for anyone else, because I know that it is: but God's word has so many layers upon layers of wonderful gifts to bring; some that stay around for years, and some that are meant for the moment.
If you don't know what I mean, it is all about timing and power! You can be in a certain place, when you least expect it, and the simplest passage or even just a word, can make you come alive and feel as though God directly spoke. And then you can go back to that specific word or passage, and it will hardly move you at all; almost as if it was all just for that certain time and place.
And then again, you get nuggets that will never leave or feel as though they don't matter; because you have been shown something that has fortified your faith and given you hope that is almost tangible. Again, if that doesn't make sense to you, don't let that get you down. Besides, not everyone sees special characters that show up in the clouds.
What we have been talking about is the things that might seem unfixable, such as the things that might cause death or destruction; things that cause change. That doesn't mean that those things are bad, nor does it mean that they are good. But! That is totally and completely dependent upon your relationship with the Lord!
If you have put your faith and trust in Christ Jesus, broken or destroyed, doesn't really matter! Having the promise of eternal life with Him, is really all that matters, no matter what, you are always on the good path and will never be totally broken or destroyed...
"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes - the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." (Romans 1:16-17 NLT)
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