Restoration

I read in Ezra this morning. What powerful moments there where when the Jews made the trip out of captivity to the time they offered sacrifices when they arrived, and when they finished laying the foundation of the temple. These people had learned lessons of the past, and had their hearts turned toward God. The old wept, and the young shouted for joy at the foundation being completed. Rebuilding/Restoration is a beautiful thing. Yes, it would have been better never to have had to rebuild. It would have been better if the Israelites would have stayed obedient to God. However, they did not. But God, who is full of grace and mercy takes our disobedience (sin) from us, as we humble ourselves before him and blesses the relationship between him and his people. There were no torn clothes, no sack clothe and ashes as they morned for what they and their fathers had done in the past. They new where they came from and they didn't just ignore the bad things of the past, but the time of mourning was over, and the time of celebration was here. It was time to get back to God. they made the sacrifices and worked on there relationship with God. One stone at a time was placed in it's spot. so that they could worship God the way they were commanded. After we accept Christ we are instantly restored, but still continue to improve the temple, to make it strong and beautiful. As we are restored and rebuilt in Christ, we remove the junk out of the way and place a solid foundation down. We should weep and be joyful as the Holy Spirit works in us. Don't stop building the temple. Don't stop at the foundation, but let Christ complete his edifying work in your life.