In II Timothy 2:9 Paul wrote to Timothy: “I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.”  Paul evidenced an important outlook here which unfortunately many of us seem to miss: the Kingdom of God is not tied to our personal fortunes. Many of us seem to think that the Kingdom rises and falls with US: if our particular church is not successful or if we personally suffer a defeat, then we act as if the Kingdom of God were suddenly in jeopardy.  But the Kingdom of God is far greater than any of us – even than a spiritual giant like the Apostle Paul.  The sun never sets on the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it never will!  We may personally experience setbacks or defeat; the institutions we count so dear may dwindle into obscurity; the tide may seem to turn against God’s people in a particular nation or culture, but we can count on one thing: more surely than the sun will rise tomorrow, the Kingdom of God will advance victoriously!  “The word of God is not imprisoned”!