The Building

Have you ever wondered why is a structure called a building when it is already been built? 

The simple truth is nothing is ever completely built, whether it's a building, or a company or a human being. Everything is work in progress.

This also reminds about Nehemiah in the Bible, the governor of Persian Judah, and his efforts in rebuilding the temple and one often wonders Why is it in the Bible in the first place? 

Is it for historical reasons or is God trying to tell us something today?

This rebuilding of the temple, in the face of great odds, represented the people's renewal of faith, and the reforming of their conduct. 

Like the Israelites of old, we too backslide and tend to forget our God. We tend to let life overcome our duty. Nehemiah was not an ordinary man, he was an important man and occupied a high position. Yet he made it a point to make the time and effort for this great endeavor.

Today, we are the temple of the Lord 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and as stated in the opening paragraph, we need to keep building it to keep it in good condition, physically and spiritually.

We also need to rebuild physically, taking care of health and physical needs of our bodies, not abusing them with use of harmful habits but being conscious to maintain healthy lifestyles.

Like Nehemiah, no matter how important or busy we are, we need to keep rebuilding and repairing the temple of God within us. Repair our relationship with Him, repair our trust and faith and rebuild our faith growing it constantly.

Growth never ends. Learning never ends. Nothing is ever complete, because it is always growing, always learning. 

The day it is complete is when it's life is over.

Vagaries of war

*** Image from Mashable

We take War too lightly. We even teach our children war and other violent games on video games, XBoxes and other devices, including phones. Gaming is big industry and war gaming as big and as popular. We have call high level meeting rooms as War Rooms. 

Yet, when it happens in real life, we are shocked. Why? 

On the 8th of October #Israel was attacked once again, after 50 years, to the day, by a terrorist uprising in Gaza. A huge public outcry followed, with one of our readers sharing the Israel PMs speech (available at the link below). 

What does this war mean to us? Will it end in a peace treaty with lots of fake handshaking by world politicians and we soon forget the thousands of innocent people who have and will have, lost their lives, families destroyed, and homes lost, as we, the people of this world are prone to do? Some countries have sworn to destroy Israel. Can they?

Zechariah 12:3–4 God says, “I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (NLT)

Meanwhile rape, murder and torture continue by terrorists and armies as they are want to do to prove their superfluous superiority. A news video of a father tearfully saying he was glad his daughter was killed and did not suffer the atrocities some other women and children had to go through. That says it all.

We believe Bible prophecies are coming true before our very eyes. Scattering and gathering of #Israel has been foretold and has happened. What next? Will there be a bloody end to this or a peaceful end? While we can pray for a peaceful end, and for the peace for the murdered souls and their families, what will prevail is God's word and His promises. No country and no person.

So, what do we do as followers of Christ and #Christians?

Firstly, The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We want to pray that they arrive at some kind of peace. We want to pray that this horrific #terrorism stops, and that they’re able to get their hostages back. That Gods hand of protection remains over Israel and her people.

Secondly, As Christ's followers we should do what He said to do:

Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV). 

That’s what we need to be doing, looking for the soon return of Jesus Christ.

Why Pray?

 

*** Pic from Wikipedia

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. — Lamentations 3:41

Why do we pray? Boyd Packer said -" Prayer is your personal key to heaven.". Here is a deep but beautiful explanation from the KJV devotional.

"The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us Favours without constraining us to pray for them, we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. 

While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The healthiest state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust. 

Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labor of prayer. 

Prayer plumes the wings of God’s young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God’s warriors and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. 

An earnest pleader comes out of his closet, even as the sun arises from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race. 

Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians. 

Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvelous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright throughout this day!"