When I was a child watching cartoons on Saturday mornings, there were always two words that would show up on the television screen I would hate to see. Whenever the words “The End” would appear, I would either be sad, mad, or both. Those words signal a change, the beginning of something new, the finish of something old, or a time to switch gears in my frame of thinking. Endings never come easy for things good and can’t come fast enough for things not enjoyable. Endings always start a new beginning. The 2012-2013 school year has ended. We now set our sights on next year. But for now let us enjoy this restful break called summer.
Even greater things are in store for us in God’s Kingdom! Jesus spoke of this present age eventually coming to an end. Matthew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” This ending Jesus speaks of will yield a much greater beginning.
Jesus encourages us to be strong in our faith. The world is becoming more and more hostile toward Christianity. Standing up for the truth is not fashionable, nor sharing the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, feasible! God’s word is being twisted and its warnings no longer heeded. Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Jesus goes so far as to say in Revelation 22:13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and Last, the Beginning and the End.”
I would like to share a poem with you entitled “The End.”
The end has come, let us close the door,
Quickly! Turn out the lights, there is no more!
Let’s shut the curtain on this year’s stage,
The book is finished, we’re on the last page!
When the end comes, we will look ahead,
“There is a brighter day”, Jesus said!
A hope for tomorrow written in God’s word,
It is the greatest news we have ever heard!
Oh wait! The final bell has not rung,
There is another chorus we haven’t sung!
Jesus will restore, and our hearts He will mend,
For the Lord said, “I am the beginning and the end.”
I look forward to next school year with great hope and excitement. God has everything under control. I can’t help but think of Noah. The end of the earth as he knew it had come, endless days of rain, and nothing but water to look at. But one day a dove he released returned with an olive leaf in its beak!! Have a great summer and God bless!
