Sapphire

Am experiencing hardship at present, and it has been so difficult that I think I may have missed what God is trying to say to me in the midst of it. I know it says those whom He loves, He chastises or disciplines. But I have been dealing with hardship in multiple areas, and one of the main things I feel like God has been trying to communicate to me is to trust Him, no matter what it looks like. I know I don't have unshakeable trust in the Lord, but am learning how to open my hands and let it go; all the things and people I've been clinging to and putting first in my life, instead of seeking Him and giving Him first place.

I believe God is displeased when we are disobedient to His will, His ways and His Word. He is pleased when we are quick to obey Him because He knows obedience to His Word brings the blessings. I need to make an effort to serve Him joyfully, like when I first came to know Him as my Lord and Saviour.

We are to live our lives surrendered unto Christ and separated from the sins and immorality of this world, for we are in this world but not of this world. Man looks on the outward appearance , but God sees the true motives and intent of the heart. So we must make sure our hearts are free from sin, things like unforgiveness , bitterness, hatred, etc. Before partaking of the Lord's Supper, we are to examine our hearts, repent of any sins, and prepare our hearts through praise and adoration to our King. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us to live the Christian life day by day, serving with with a pure heart, and a heart filled with gratitude and love for Him.

Because of tiredness, weariness and unbelief. We begin to doubt the promises of God, we feel all alone in our pain and struggles, we sometimes think God has abandoned us or will not come through, so we resort to our own human efforts and plans, which only makes it worse. One with robust faith is one who trust the Lord no matter how impossible or desperate the circumstance appear. He walks by faith in Christ and not by sight. And faith pleases God. Faith is much more powerful than sight. Anyone can say what they see, but it takes faith to call those things that are not as though they already are.

People without a deep commitment to the Lord will end up mixing or tainting true worship to the Lord. Without a heart fully committed and totally surrendered to the Lord, there will always be some type of spiritual contamination of the praise, worship and preaching of the Word of GOD. No wonder He says they that worship Me must worship Me in spirit and in truth. Those Samaritans only wanted to help rebuild the temple so they could manipulate and control God's people, it wasn't because they loved Jehovah God.. No matter how much times change, or the music or the generations, Christ must remain central in all we do.

It is admirable how much work they did in order to restore worship to the Lord God. No, my personal worship is not where it should be. I need to get back to spending more quality time in the Word of God, and feed on the meat of the Word and not just skim through the Psalms so I wont feel guilty for not spending time in His Presence. I do try to worship Him in everything I do, but there is so much room for improvement. I would love to just get quiet in His presence and sing songs of love and adoration to Him, just for Who He is, my Lord and my soon coming King.

The Spirit of God moved upon the hearts of those who were supposed to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Some may have stayed behind because it was now a familiar place to them, they may have become complacent, some too weary to begin all over again. Some may have embraced idol worship and forgotten about their commitment to the true and living God. Not everyone will follow the Lord to the end, some fall by the wayside or become snared by the things of the world. The Babylonian way of life may have appeared much better or easier to some of the Jewish people. True disciples endure to the end, endure hardship as soldiers of the Cross of Christ, and never look back but always keep pressing forward, knowing that it will all be worth it in the end.