An Abandoned Building and God’s Unshakeable Kingdom

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:28-29

Dear Family & Friends

Everything of this earth will end. It is the natural order for things to break down. Houses need constant attention. Trees lose their limbs and eventually fall. Even people only live for a short lifetime and then return to dust. The disappearance of the things and people we once knew can leave us shaken and distraught, but there is something that can never be lost. For God’s unshakeable kingdom we can be eternally grateful!

An Abandoned Building – Morris Bean & Co

I have a strange interest in broken down things – things that have gone through a good shaking. Living in an old farmhouse often draws my mind towards the past and I wonder about the happenings from many years ago. Recently, I had the opportunity to tickle this interest in a fascinating way. 

Within miles of our home a large brick building sits hidden behind overgrown trees and brush. You might hardly notice it, if you didn’t take the time to look. Over the past decades anyone traveling down US Route 42 from my town to the neighboring town of Xenia has passed it without hardly a look. But this is not how that place used to be. 

Years ago the sprawling brick building was the home of the Cedarville branch of Morris Bean & Co. This foundry, which made iron castings, leased the former Hager Paper Co. buildings in 1946 as announced in the September 13 edition of the Cedarville Herald. 

The employees, many of whom were from Cedarville and the surrounding farms, populated the complex every day, and I imagine the place was hopping with whirring machinery and equipment. But that is not the case now. Now the abandoned buildings are for sale and Dad, Nathan, and I took a client for a tour. 

Decay is Part of This World

In the years since the Hager Paper Co. and the Morris Bean & Company occupied the buildings, other businesses continued to use the building in various capacities. But now the lonely brick structure sits dormant with much of its annex buildings in ruin. Machinery that once hummed a productive song now sits silently. Shattered windows leave a glassy trail of broken shards along the floors. On a good day sunlight and the cheerful trills of birds penetrate the dank areas through gaping holes in the ceiling. Many of the metal supports hang down making the winding hallways a bit precarious. 

Why does life have to be this way? Why do beautiful and busy buildings decay when left alone? It’s enough to make a soul weep, but it’s just the way it is in this sinful world. 

A Reason For Hope

Yet, there is something to give us hope. This place is not all there is. The writer of the book of Hebrews gives various examples comparing earthly things with heavenly ones. His Jewish readers were being tempted to cling to the things of earth, including their old religious practices that were no longer viable. The author of the letter takes great pains to explain that Jesus is better than anything that came before, and to show that all of the old regulations, promises, and prophecies pointed to Him. 

Believers are Part of God’s Unshakeable Kingdom

In time everything in the created heavens and earth will be destroyed, but the Kingdom of God will last forever. Therefore, we must listen and respond to the true reality of Jesus instead of clinging to the past. Those who belong to Jesus are citizens of God’s unshakeable kingdom and will live with Him for eternity.

In light of this wonderful future, I am not sure why I have such an interest in old, broken down buildings or why I like to picture how things might have been in the past. Maybe it’s that the tug of sadness on my heart reminds me that this world is not the end for those who have put their faith in Jesus, God’s Son. 

A Reason to Be Thankful

Destruction and deterioration happen on this earth – just check out the buildings on Route 42 in Cedarville. But God’s unshakeable kingdom will last forever and will never be lost. That is a reason to be thankful and reverently worship our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the One who gives us unshakeable hope for a bright future. 

Love,

Mama

If you have been blessed by Verses from Mama consider buying me a cup of tea to help with the costs of this ministry. Thank you!