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Today is Wednesday September 29, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Zechariah, chapters 8-14. If you would like to read today's chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-29

Today's Message: Piece By Piece
Did you ever see a house being built? First the foundation is laid, then the frame is built, then the bricks or wood is put in place for the exterior of the building, and so forth until piece by piece the house is complete. Every day I pass by this house that is being built, it is something that the owner is building on his own. He has been working on it for about five years now and is still not done, but he keeps going piece by piece he builds a great work upon that foundation. The Christian life is built in this same manner, Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” -Matthew 7:24-27. We need a good, strong, foundation, which only comes from knowing Christ as your Savior, and once the foundation is laid, piece by piece we do a great work for God.

God stressed to the Israelites the importance of a good foundation, but also urged them to continue building the Temple. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built....And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong...Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD..” - Zechariah 8:7-9,13,22. God assures His people that if they believe in Him and His Words He will always be with them and they will be safe. Today, we are God's Temple, through every trial, circumstance, and test, piece by piece He is building upon the foundation and we are becoming stronger and more confident in God's ability to help us through any of Satan's attacks. However, if we do not do anything to build upon the foundation we will never have that strength to withstand him.

Sometimes it takes a while to build upon our Temple, some of the circumstances we go through seem to never come to pass, but we can never stop trusting in God. The hardest part about being faithful to God is patience, we anticipate things to happen quickly, however, God hardly ever makes things happen that fast. Although his prophetic message was fulfilled centuries later, in great anticipation, Zechariah foretells the coming of Christ. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” - Zechariah 9:9,10. Five hundred and fifty years passed when this prophecy was fulfilled as Jesus entered Jerusalem during the last week before His crucifixion. “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” - Matthew 21:5. This was Jesus' formal presentation as King to His loyal supporters and the common people. Today, we have the anticipation of waiting on His return, until that time comes we need to be prepared because He is going to come when we least expect it. Although it can take a while for something to come to pass, God always follows through on His promises. Just keep pressing forward in faith and He will allow all your circumstances to come to pass.

While our works do not get us to heaven, they do help us to build upon our foundation. God is pleased with those who are eager to do His will and when He is please nothing or no one can stop His blessings from pouring in. Piece by piece we build upon our foundation by reading His Word, obeying His commands, and communicating with Him through prayer. The more we learn about Him the more we want to do for Him, the more we want to do for Him the more our trust and faith in Him builds up our Temple. The more our trust and faith in Him builds up our Temple the more we do a good work for Him. Trust God, trust in His Word and His Son, and piece by piece He will build us up into strong, God fearing Christians, blessed beyond anything the world can offer. “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”- I Timothy 6:17-19. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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