Endings part 1
You had to know this was coming. But I want to be clear right off the bat... its like the song says, "Every new beginning is some other beginning's end." Because we're talking about eternal life, right? And if its eternal there IS no end. But in order for there to be a New there had to be an end of the Old. So we're going to hit on that--probably tomorrow. The end of the Old Covenant as Jesus died both for us and as on the cross. That's important. Its important to know where we came from. Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, right? So, like I said, we'll get there. But I want to come out strong. And I want to kind of tie a bow on the last Rant series. Because you really can't have a new beginning without an ending. And the memory verse I want to quote tonight is Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." And for quite a while I wondered about that "the beginning and the ending" part. Because, as I said, eternal life doesn't HAVE an end. But then I started to see Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." My favorite Pete the Cat book says, "Buttons come and buttons go." There are all kinds of beginnings and endings in life. All kinds of seasons in our lives. I'm not where I was a year ago. Or ten years. Or thirty years ago. I've gone through things. Started things and ended them. Sometimes when Logan and I are driving around I point out different places I've worked at. And he says, "You've had a lot of jobs." Different jobs at different times. I lived in California for about six months (but don't mention it to my mom because she's still sore about it). There was a beginning and an ending to that season in my life. I preached every Sunday morning at a traditional church. Now I Rant and do Guerrilla Gospel YouTube videos. There's a time and a place for everything. A season for everything. Nothing lasts forever. Except love. And that's the point I'm trying to make tonight, and will try to make for the next few days. Love is the beginning. We hit that hard. But love is also the ending. You don't have to burn bridges and blow stuff up on the way out. You can, and I'm going to quote the verse again right here, "...Shrug your shoulders and be on your way..." (Matthew 10:13 MSG). Sometimes hanging on does more damage than letting go. Sometimes... have you ever heard of a happy ending? It doesn't have to be a negative thing. Sometimes an ending can be a beautiful thing. The ending of a bad situation. The ending of pain and suffering. Giving something everything you've got and knowing that its either enough... or its not. And if its not... shrug your shoulders and be on your way. Know that you did what you could do, and know that what God has planned for you is better than anything you could ever even plan for yourself. Abundantly above all that we could ask or even think, right? So don't despise endings either. Because the old has to end before the new can begin. And God has made all things new. The old HAS passed away. The ending ended 2,000 years ago. But, again, that's for tomorrow. Probably.