Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Jason Gray singing … I Am New … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, are being remade - rebuilt - into the image of our Savior.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Ezra 5:5 [NKJV] … 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius.
… In the rebuilding of God’s Temple, His eyes were always on the restoration.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ezra 5:1-5 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… The Temple of God, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians, now was being rebuilt for God’s glory.
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Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 [NKJV] … 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
… Our bodies are God’s “temple,” and we are charged to keep it pure/clean for His glory. And it it is broken, we must allow Him to rebuild it in His image.
Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 5:17 [NKJV] … 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
… Once we are reconciled in our flesh to Christ, His Spirit will rebuild us into His images.
Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6 [NKJV] … … 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; …
… If we don’t get in God’s way, His grace will remake us into the image of Christ …
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Leslie Koh, used a person recollection of a friend who persevered in letting God rebuild his life anew in Christ. The ODB author writes … When an opportunity came to take on a new role at work, Simon believed it was a godsend. After praying over the decision and seeking counsel, he felt that God was giving him this opportunity to take on bigger responsibilities. Everything fell into place, and his boss supported his move. Then things began to go wrong. Some colleagues resented his promotion and refused to cooperate. He began to wonder if he should give up. …
Similarly, Simon sought God’s wisdom to discern whether he should stay or find a new position. Sensing God calling him to remain, he relied on God’s strength to persevere. Over time, he slowly gained his colleagues’ acceptance.
And then the ODB author used the biblical story of God rebuilding His temple in the book of Ezra (see highlight passage) to show, as with the story of Simon above, how God will watch over the rebuilding of our personal temple, our bodies/lives (see 1Cor 6 and 2Cor 5 above), and give us the strength of His grace to complete the rebuilding project (see Phil. 1:6).
I’ve been called to disciple men whose lives have been broken by habitual sexual sin (see www.battleplanministries.org ). And when they realize the reality that they CAN rebuild their lives as promised by our Lord in the reference passages above, they let God do the rebuilding and their lives are transformed … and the temples of their bodies can - and do - become new.
And so, I pray today that we’re all letting God’s Spirit remake us into His image, … letting our Lord restructure His temple to give Him glory.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for the newness I have in/thru my relationship with You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here being clay in The Potter’s hands, surrendering to the rebuilding of Your Temple by Your Spirit. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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