"Later"

 "A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;" (Ecclesiastes 3:5 KJV) 

  ""Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."" (PSALM 46:10 NLT)

 Interestingly, this might be the one thing I am the worst at doing, Being Still! Don't ask me why, but for as far back as I can remember, I couldn't wait for things to happen; if it wasn't happening soon enough, then I took it upon myself to try and make something happen. Even if it wasn't what I really wanted, just to be doing something to move towards whatever, however I could. 

 Not quite sure how this relates, but it begins with an embrace! Wow! Is anyone out there who still thinks that everything is going well in this world? Believe it or not, but Israel is the timeclock for when things are going to happen! Hopefully the church will be ready, not dealing with things that do not matter, but with the things that matter the most: preparation and expectancy! 

 This might get weird, but the apostle Paul is referenced in connection with this, "embrace," as it deals with sexual relations between a husband and wife. It is found in the passage of Scripture, where Paul addresses a question the church in Corinth had about abstaining from sexual relations. Because of the culture, or lack thereof, he recommended that each man should have a wife, and each woman a husband.

 Please forgive me if I don't make any sense, but it has been quite a while since my wife, and I, had any such interaction, beyond cuddling! But, when God brought me and my wife together, we became one flesh; therefore, what hurts one of us, will hurt the other; what makes one feel loved, will also make the other feel loved also! This is what is referred to as unity in marriage; to be bound together as one. 

 That said, when my wife a I became one with each other, we also included Christ Jesus into the union, making us three-in-one; two candles came together, lighting the middle candle, which represented Christ, and the passage of Scripture was mentioned: "A cord of three stands is not easily broken." (A passage for later!) 

 When we fail to acknowledge what we believe to be the truth, we have refrained from embracing the Lord, which is not only going to hurt Him, but will end up hurting your other, husband or wife; this is much like denying one another the intimacy that the other might desire. I know that might seem strange and hard to wrap your head around, but He is standing right beside you, what did you expect! 

 Okay, let me try and pack this up: better late than never does not count in this situation! There is a moment to react, and then there is a moment to retract; but whenever that Third Cord says to move, you move; and when He says be still, you be still! It is all based upon that particular moment...

""He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't serve his needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him - though he is not far from any of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. God overlooked people's ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead."" (Acts 17:24-31 NLT)