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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“The days are coming,” declares
the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me from the Tower of Hananel to
the Corner Gate. The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the
hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. The whole valley where dead bodies and
ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as
far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will
never again be uprooted or demolished.”
Jeremiah 31:38-40
This ends today’s reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever watched one of those home makeover shows?
If you have, then you know they are simply amazing as homes
are selected that need a lot of work and by the time the makeover is over, the
homes are like brand new and barely resemble the former one. The funny thing is
it’s the same house but now changed and better than it was before after its
transformation.
This is a point critical to the message found in the final
verses of Jeremiah 31 as we see the Lord speaking about a coming rebuilding
project. Look again at these verses here:
“The
days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me
from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The measuring line will stretch
from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. The whole
valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the
Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy
to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.” Jeremiah
31:38-40
What city is the Lord talking about?
None other than the blessed, divine city of Jerusalem which
was plundered, destroyed, and left in ruins after the attack by the Babylonians,
the judgment sent on Judah for the sinful worship practices of its people. In the
wake of the assault, nothing in Jerusalem was left standing to include God’s
holy temple.
Indeed, the city would not just need a makeover but a major
rebuilding project and as we see in the Lord’s own words, that rebuilding
project was going to happen and He goes into great detail as to how it will be
rebuilt. He clearly sets the boundaries of the resurrected city and makes three
things very clear:
1. The city was being rebuilt for Him.
“The days are coming,” declares
the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me.”
Note here that the people would not be returning to
Jerusalem from their seventy year exile to build for themselves. No everything
that would be done to reconstruct the holy city would be done to glorify and
honor the Lord. The city would be rebuilt for Him.
2. The city would once again be holy.
“The whole valley where dead
bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on
the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord.”
Looking at it in ruins, Jerusalem had to look anything but
holy. But God had a plan to restore it to sacred prominence again and the
returning Israelites would provide the catalyst for it to happen.
3. The city would never again be destroyed.
“The city will never again be
uprooted or demolished.”
Jerusalem’s demolition was a one-time affair. The Lord said
it would not happen again and indeed, it hasn’t. Jerusalem still stands tall
and as God promises, it will always be that way, that is until Jesus returns
and a New Jerusalem is brought into existence (Revelation 21:1-2).
So what does this have to do with our lives and our
Christian walk today?
Well, I would say there is a great connection because before
a person decides to receive Jesus as their Savior, they are a person in ruin,
destined for destruction. Without a makeover, they will remain in ruins now and
forever.
But something amazing happens when a person chooses Christ
as the scriptures proclaim:
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is
here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Did you catch that?
Anyone who comes to Christ will be a new creation as God
begins to perform a makeover on them, leading them to live as His Son did, in
righteousness and pleasing in His sight. A person doesn’t rebuild their lives
for themselves. They rebuild them for the Lord, just as Jerusalem was rebuilt.
Further, when a person becomes a new creation in Christ,
they make holiness a priority in their life and seek it by following Jesus, the
Holy One, who proclaimed He was the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Finally, a person who comes to Christ and becomes a new
creation, seals His place in eternity with God and Jesus. They will not be
demolished or destroyed when Jesus returns because they will be pardoned,
washed clean by the shed blood of the Savior, the Lamb of God who was crucified
for sin in their place on Calvary’s cross.
My friends, Jerusalem would never be uprooted or demolished.
The Lord promised it.
Neither will anyone who rebuilds their lives for God,
accepting Jesus as their Savior. For in Him, they will gain an eternal hope that
is secure, locked in God's promises, an eternal hope that no one will ever be
able to take away.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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