2 Chron 21-24 Repair, Polish, Strength

May 16th, 2 Chronicles 21-24

       As I read along a certain phrase sticks out or strikes me as being funny/sad/profound... The line today comes from the end of Jehoram's reign as King. It says, "He departed with no one's regret." That's a pretty profound editorial line added to the end of a guys story. It says a lot, certainly different than well done good and faithful servant.
       The other issue that struck me is the replay of the story about asking the priests to fix up the Temple. The verse that stuck out was 24:13 "So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to it's proper condition and strengthened it."
       What really stuck out to me is that we have a temple in our day to work on as well. The Holy Spirit dwells in our lives and there is some repair, restoration, and strengthening to be done.
       What part of our lives are broken and in need of some sort of repair? Things break, sometimes we break things, it's a normal part of life. But we need to step into some repair.
       The brass railing loses it's luster. With some polish and elbow grease(not sure what that is) the tarnish can become the shiny beautiful thing it once was. Restoration brings our life back to an eye catching beauty. One visitor to our church said he appreciated the enthusiasm of some people's singing at church. People see the shine, they also see the dullness. Polish it up!!
       Strength is something I see as a real lack in our day. Strength comes through repeated obedience which leads to being near to the Lord. Bettering our self-esteem, saying positive things might be short lived props, but obedience to God is THE source of connection to the omnipotent God of the universe that will change our lives, provide the strength we need.
       A little repair, polish and strength is our goal for this Temple and may that create a glorious testimony for the world.