Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in images, song and lyrics from Andrew Peterson singing … All Things New … poignantly singing of how our Lord leads us to make all things new in His image … forever.
Nehemiah surveys the destruction of the walls in Jerusalem ...
============= Highlight Verse[s]: Nehemiah 2:18 [NLT] ... 18 Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. … They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.
… God’s people recognize, from Nehemiah’s leadership, the need to work together to rebuild the walls.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Nehemiah 2:11-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Nehemiah surveys the damage of the destruction in Jerusalem [see photo] and the need to rebuild the walls.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 127:1 [NLT] ... 1 Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.
… The Psalmist sings of rebuilding “God’s Temple,” which is the lives of believers; … but only following the work of the Lord.
Reference Passage : … Daniel 9:24-25 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God gives Daniel a vision of Jerusalem’s destruction and rebuilding when the “Anointed One,” … the Messiah … returns for His people.
Reference Passage : … Amos 9:11, 14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Amos, prophesies the rebuilding and restoration of God’s people in Israel.
Reference Passage : … 1Corinthians 6:19-20 [NLT] … 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
… We must honor God by keeping His Temple (our body) as clean/pure as possible.
Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6 [NLT] … 6 And I am certain that God, Who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
… Paul recognized that God was doing a work in all Christians, rebuilding us into the image of our Lord
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses the Bible story of Nehemiah leading the rebuilding of the Temple walls in Jerusalem after the Babylonians destroyed the walls to illustrate what we must do to rebuild our damaged “temple” (i.e., our sinful lives). … The ODB author wrote: When it came time to report the damage to the officials of the city, [Nehemiah] began by saying, “You see the trouble we are in” (Nehemiah 2:17). He reported that the city was in ruins, and the protecting city wall had been rendered useless. But then he made a statement that energized the troubled citizens: “I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me.” Immediately, the people replied, “Let us start rebuilding” (v. 18).
… As you consider your circumstances, is there something that looks difficult but that you know God wants you to do? A sin you can’t seem to get rid of? A relationship rift that’s not God-honoring? A task for Him that looks too hard?
I don’t think I need to explain or write much here to understand the ODB challenge today, do I? Those question above challenge us directly to survey “the walls” of our lives, especially how we see the condition of “God’s Temple” (i.e., our bodies - see 1Cor. 6:19-20). And perhaps, … my fellow readers, as do I, we see that there is more rebuilding necessary to shore up the walls in God’s Temple, … just as Nehemiah saw in his day, … leading God’s people to rebuild the walls in the shattered temple in Jerusalem.
I pray we all do a survey our our “temple” and see what needs rebuilding, … beginning today to let God’s Spirit lead us into the rebuilding project.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for leading me to rebuild the walls of Your temple.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, … to work together, as did God’s people in Nehemiah’s day, to rebuild the walls of our Temple. 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.</ span>
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