Hello! Long time no see! I figured that after a month of silence it is high time that I write something, even if it's just to say hello!
A lot has been going on in the last month. It has been a very busy but blessed month. I sat down and tried to write a post sometime in February, but it didn't get very far. I think it had something to do with water balloons, if I remember correctly...
...but I think I'll leave that for another post! And besides, autumn is here now, so water balloons might not be fun for much longer!
Lots of great things have happened in the last couple of weeks. Actually, for the last month! It's the month of Adar, and traditionally Adar is seen as the month of joy. And guess what - this year is a leap year, so we get 2 months of Adar - we get 2 months to focus on joy, and being joyful. I think that sometimes it's great just to get these reminders to remember to be joyful, and what can be better than to get 2 whole months of practice to establish the habit of rejoicing. Isn't it so good to remember to rejoice always?
And isn't it amazing that we celebrate Purim in the month of Adar? We celebrate the fact that God saved His people. And isn't it interesting that although it is obvious that God saved the Jewish people from perishing, He was never mentioned once in the whole book of Esther? Yet even when we couldn't see God in that dark time, He was working to save His people in an incredible way. Perhaps He's moving in the same way today. At times it can be hard to see that He is there at all, but He is there, and there are moments when we can see that He is working. We need to remember that and keep moving. Imagine if Esther had given up hope just because she couldn't see that God was there. It would not have ended well.
And remember - Purim is around the corner! Time to get ready to rejoice and thank the Lord for His mercies and His love! It's a very special reminder and encouragement for us girls, too, as we get to take a look at Esther and her courage.
So lets be joyful in hope this month, just before Passover! For our redemption is near - nearer than ever before. Our family will probably start cleaning the house from front to back, top to bottom in the next week or so. It's a great time to start cleaning the leaven from our hearts as we scrub, clean and sort. We enjoy listening to music and audio books while we work, too, so if you have any favourites....
Now, a parting word of encouragement.
The Temple of God was a magnificent House. A lot of time and effort went into building it, and it was built to perfection. It was overlaid with gold and every rich and beautiful material. It was the most beautiful building in the whole world. God's presence dwelled therein, and He promised Solomon that He would place His Name there forever. He told Solomon in a dream after he had dedicated the Temple (read the dedication in 1 Kings 8 - it's so beautiful!),
''I have heard your prayer and your petition that you made before Me. I have consecrated this House, which you have built, to put My Name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there everyday.'' 1 Kings 9:3
King Solomon by Alex Levin
The Lord is very zealous for His Temple. One of the reasons He exiled them to Babylon was for defiling His House. When the Jews returned to Israel after the exile, the first thing they did was rebuild the Temple.
While the Temple is a very physical thing and will be there when Yeshua comes, it is also a picture of us, as it says in 2 Corinthians 6:16, ''For we are the Temple of the living God...''
The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans around 70AD. But why was it destroyed that time? Israel wasn't chasing after idols and building shrines and altars for them. That wasn't the main reason for the destruction of the second Temple. It was destroyed because of baseless hatred. People were killing and hating each other for no good reason. They weren't walking in love and keeping God's commandments in love. That is the reason the Temple was destroyed. It was destroyed mainly for baseless hatred.
Now, if our bodies are the Temple of God, we must look after it. God gave it to us, and He clothed us in salvation and arrayed us in His robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). We are very special to Him, inside and outside. He said that He would place His Name in us forever. He took great care and fashioned us in incomprehensible love! He loves us so much, and wants to dwell with us. That's one of the reasons why the Tabernacle was built and then later on the Temple. It was so that God could dwell among us. He yearns to be part of our everyday lives, sharing and enjoying our joys, and comforting us in our sorrows.
So, let's not destroy our bodies with baseless hatred. I think we all tend to focus a lot on our mistakes, freckles, hair type, etc., and hate either it our ourselves. We forget that we are quite wonderfully made and beautiful just as we are, and that we are His Temple and craftmanship. We mustn't destroy ourselves and hate ourselves just because we think we haven't reached the mark. We're all right where we should be, right now, and we are loved, beautiful and treasured by our Father.
You are beautiful and wonderfully made. You are loved and cherished. Stop breaking down His Temple and start working to keep it functioning. Offer thanksgiving offerings in your heart, fill your light with oil every morning and every evening. Fill up with the Bread of God before His presence, praying to Him about everything and anything, for your voice is a sweet aroma before Him. Wash yourself in His Blood as you serve quietly in His household He will light the fire in your heart as He gives you everything you need. He has made you beautiful, you are His treasured princess.
Shalom until next time!
''Don't you know that you are God's Temple and that the Ruach Elohim dwells among you? If anyone destroys God's Temple, God will destroy him; for God's Temple is holy, and you are that Temple.'' 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
The Second Temple, painting by Alex Levin
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