Mark 13:31
Heaven & earth will disappear, but My words will remain forever. (NLT)
Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out. (The Message)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (NIV)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (NASB)
Heaven and earth will perish and pass away, but My words will not perish or pass away. (Amplified)
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (KJV)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (NKJV)
The sky and the earth will not last forever, but my words will. (CEV)
Earth and sky will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed. (NCV)
This verse come from a long section in chapter 13 of the gospel of Mark where Jesus is talking about the end times. No matter which translation we read, it basically comes out the same - what Jesus said to us is the only constant, eternal thing; everthing else is transitory, here today, gone tomorrow.
These days, I'm hearing a lot of dire predictions, feelings of foreboding, or grim outlooks. And things are a bit grim right now, particularly in financial circles. We continue to have flare-ups in the Israel/Arab world (btw, these people have been fighting for millenia; I doubt there's gonna be any immediate resolution). And then there's all the activity & angst in the radical Arab/Muslim world in regards to the USA.
Aaron Barth shared something interesting with me as we came back from the Atlanta airport Thursday night. He had just flown in from Congo, West Africa. (His dad is site manager of the building of a new the American Embassy there.) He was telling me that over here, there are so many things that command our attention - our economy, our elections, our government & its officials, etc - that we think is so crucial & should be equally crucial elsewhere.
But Aaron found out that those things, which certainly impact the rest of the world, are not nearly as crucial in Congo (or elsewhere) as we would think. As Lynn just said to me, "Their lives are much more basic - they're concerned with food, shelter, & personal safety. Anything past that is a fantastic luxury.
I've said all that to say all this - the only thing we have to really rely on is God & all the countless things He's spoken to us. Life's gotten tough lately; there's no guarrantees about what's ahead (like there ever were?!); & it continues to look like we're living in "the last days." Being as all that may, Jesus tells us here in a few short words to hold on & chill out - everything & everyone that we sometimes stake our security on are just gonna disappear one day - maybe sooner than later.
But there is one thing we can always count on - Him.
I don't know what's ahead for us. I do know the One who "both precedes & follows us" & He's got all under control.
(I feel like I need to encourage the person reading this who needs to take that step of completely trusting in God, & believe that He's got your situation under control. You've been struggling with something or someone, & you just haven't let go of the last part of this situation; you haven't allowed Him to take complete control. I want to encourage you to do that right now. He's got it - just let go of it & let Him take care of it.)
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