Proverbs of a 42 yr old man

Everything is fragile. Everything in your life is so fragile. All God has to do is remove His Grace and everything you love can break into pieces. Now why would God want to do that? I go back to the original command He spoke in the garden of Eden. Humanity must not continue to eat from the tree of life in this fallen state. Adam and Eve had just given over dominion to Satan and God declared the end in the beginning. He gave Satan the power of death because He was ultimately going to be defeated by it. His kingdom would grow but it would be fragile, never knowing when God would come in judgment. The demons even said to Jesus once, have you come to judge us? Matt. 8:29 They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” Rev. 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Amen. Even the enemy of our souls knows his kingdom is fragile and his time is short. Evil will not last and the desires of this world will fade away. But let's go back to Everything is fragile. Everything about our world is fragile. The fact that we live on a ball that hangs on nothing. Or if we were just one or more degrees off axis the Sun would consume us. Life on this world is fragile. Food and water are a fragile system that depends on more than the Amazon shipping system. There are people in this world that suffer from lack of food and clean water. Think about how fragile your life is and how much you need God? Depending on your discretion and appropriate fear you could cease to exist. We are called to live a life of prudence and caution. Proverbs 8:12-13 I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech. Amen. Eccles. 7:16-18 I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. Do not be over righteous, neither be overwise, why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. Amen. Job 8:9-22 Just ask the previous generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors. For we were born but yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow. But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you the wisdom of old. Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh? Can marsh grass flourish without water? While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass. The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. Their confidence hangs by a thread. What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web. They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure. The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden. Its roots grow down through a pile of stones; it takes hold on a bed of rocks. But when it is uprooted, it’s as though it never existed! That’s the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it. “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.” Amen. Let me close with this thought and verse. 2 Cor. 4:7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. Amen. This makes it clear that our great power and will to thrive is from God, not from ourselves. Our bodies, our lives are so fragile. God knows we are finite creatures and that we depend on Him for everything. Though everything is fragile, Jesus is our solid foundation. He is the Head, and we are His Body. We are strong and held together in Him. If you find your faith in God fragile today, know Jesus is faithful even when we are faithless. He cannot deny Himself.