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Day 122, or May 2nd. If at first you don't succeed, try harder. Our thoughts today are

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rooted in Ezra chapter 4 verse 4. Then the peoples around them set out to discourage

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the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse. Under their leaders Zerubbabel, the returnees

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from exile started the process of rebuilding the temple, which was originally built by

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Solomon, but was then destroyed by the invading Babylonian army under King Nebuchadnezzar.

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The temple had to be built in the same God-appointed place, so in a way the project was to rebuild

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the temple rather than build a completely new one. The grandeur of Solomon's temple

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was never replicated, and some of the older folk, who remembered the original, cried openly.

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The temple of Zerubbabel is not usually included when the temples of Jerusalem are counted.

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Solomon's is always the first, but usually the second one is the one that Jesus would

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have known, which was built by Herod the Great. Zerubbabel's efforts are sadly airbrushed

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away.

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And now today's action step. We are told that the people were of one mind as the temple

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rebuilding project got under way. That was a great foundation upon which to build. Too

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many times we sense that all we need is a majority to confirm that our actions are in

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God's will. Too often we fall into being Democrats rather than theocrats. I knew a

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church minister who would delay anything from proceeding if he sensed there was not unanimity

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in the congregation. You may think that most churches would never get anything done. Well,

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would that be a bad thing if God was not in the projects?

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Despite problems, the Israelites moved on making progress slowly. Remember, progress

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is not an event, it's a process. Steady as she goes. When problems arise, overcome

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them with God's help. Remember, God is bigger than all our problems put together. Don't

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let difficulties overcome you.