From 365 day devotional Not Yet Finished So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished (Ezra 5:16). Scripture: Ezra 5:6-17 Song: “Unto Thy Temple, Lord, We Come” When my husband and I bought our house, we gutted it and remodeled it. Then we were all set for the next 20 years or so, right? Wrong. Needed repairs continued to pop up. A house requires constant maintenance. Sometimes it needs major things like a new roof or siding. Other times it’s the little things that need to be taken care of. And if the little things are neglected, they can become big problems. My husband spent an entire summer scraping off layers of old paint before he could even begin to restore the trim on the outside of the house. The overgrown shrubs had to be pulled out, roots and all, before new ones could be planted. Our spiritual journeys are the same. Sometimes we’re struggling with “major” sins—obvious things like addiction, infidelity, or financial irresponsibility. At other times, our sin is less obvious. Jealousy creeps in, eventually straining relationships. An innocent conversation somehow becomes malicious gossip, wounding those around us. Pride inches its way into our thought life, manifesting itself as arrogance. The “little” things take root, and then we’re in need of serious repair work. Lord, reveal to me the sin in my life. Please forgive me for glossing over “small” sins and allowing them to fester. Weed them out, I pray, in Christ’s name. Amen."
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 14:42:31 +0000