178th Week, Ezra Chapters 5-9 (Click on Title for Video Introduction)

Click on title for Video Intro 

Monday, Ezra Chapter 5

Ezra 5

Verse 3

Bart Strayer

Verse 3: The governor asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

THOUGHT

For those of us who live in the city, we can’t just go and slap another room on the back of the house like they do in Arkansas ... or put that new deck off the east wing that has ‘always been a dream of ours’. As we learn from the book of Ezra, when you live in the city you need to contact the city clerk for a building permit to do modifications to our properties. So, next time you are dreaming about that new tool shed, think about Ezra Chapter 5 and stay out of trouble with the city.

Seriously ... whether they obtained the appropriate building permits or not, God’s will was for the temple to be completed. Additionally, God wanted not only for the temple to be rebuilt, but for His people to come together and complete the task as an act of love for Him. 

As I have stated many times, our God is multi-dimensional to the point of being unfathomable. His ways and purposes are so much higher than ours. Sometimes we can forget and discount our God’s power.

PRAYER

Father, we thank You for Your unending love. Guild us as we perform acts of giving for Your sake.  Guild our hearts and keep them pure and devoted to You. We thank You for being an awesome God fully capable of filling all our needs. In Jesus Name. AMEN

Tuesday, Ezra Chapter 6

Ezra 6 

Verse 14b

Bart Strayer

Verse 14b:  They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel.

THOUGHT

As I get older it seems that I feel a greater importance on finishing my races in a strong push. Sometimes when God calls us to tasks, they are not of the short and sweet variety. Instead, they are on the longer side. And at times, the tasks that God calls us to are to be lifelong pursuits. I think this is why over the years I have started to call my occupation ‘the project’. 

I quickly realized that what God called me to do was going to require a unique skill set, and much like a doctor learns their skills in residency, I have learned my skills in risk management over the past several years of real practice. 

As we realize the uniqueness to God’s calling, and we acquire the skills to accomplish the task, we understand that the most productive years in our ministry are to be during our last years of our careers. Only then will we have many of the skills and personality traits to be our most effective. That is why we must finish the race STRONG.

PRAYER

Father, we thank You for guiding us into Your calling for our lives. We thank You that You have and will always provide all that we need to fulfill our tasks here on earth. We ask for Your guidance and strength to finish our tasks with vigor and passion. In Jesus Name. AMEN

Wednesday, Ezra Chapter 7

Ezra 7

Verse 25

Mindy Strayer

Verse 25:  And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates-—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.

THOUGHT

Read the last sentence one more time. Amazing isn’t it! In chapter 7 King Artaxerxes issues a decree, or what is by definition an authoritative order carrying the force of a law. He decrees that Ezra is to go and teach people about our God! 

This to me is what most stands out because for this to happen in the public school systems of the United States of America would today be unthinkable. Unless you teach in a Christian school, I think it’s practically illegal to speak about our God. And mentioning Jesus Christ will get you a bunch of laughs, scowls, curse words, possibly even lawsuits and getting fired from your job because someone said they were offended and decidedto make a big stink about it. 

Now, the pagan King Artaxerxes had selfish motives when he issued this decree, but that doesn’t matter to God. He is able to use the bad for His glory. He made it so Ezra, a man of God, well taught and wise in the ways of the Lord, would be going to a people who desperately needed someone to make God known to them.

PRAYER

Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. Give us the desire, God, to be like Ezra, well versed in Your laws. Thank You for those people in our lives who are bold and intentional about teaching the Word of God to us. And bless those educators in America whose desire it is to proclaim and teach their students about the God of Heaven. Open doors in our school systems for the Word of God to once again be taught. We ask this in Jesus Name.  AMEN

Thursday, Ezra Chapter 8

Ezra 8

Verse 23

Mindy Strayer

Verse 23:  So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

THOUGHT

Do you ever wonder how different your life would be if you had been earnest in your prayer life with the Lord starting from when you were younger? I think about some things in my life and I say, “Wow, if I had been close to the Lord at that time, certainly I would have made different decisions and gone down a different path, because I had been praying for God’s guidance.” He would not have led me down that particular road, or He would have protected me from this or that. 

Ezra told the king that the gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him. I know that God has had His hand on my life, protecting me from much, and graciously guiding my path, but certainly there have been times when He has taken His hand of grace from me and told me, “0k, you want to ignore me and go at it your own way, go ahead.”  

Our God has a point. I hate to say a breaking point, because our God doesn’t break; but He will not force His will on us. He has made it so that prayer is connected to His hand in our lives. Intense prayer with the Lord will only enhance His grace and mercy in our lives, and not to say that there will not be rough roads, but His grace will be sufficient to help us travel on through. 

What is great about chapter 8 is that Ezra recognized that this was a HUGE journey.  The narrative says 900 miles of WALKING! That might be a fun sounding adventure for Jeanie because she is the walker in this group, but for the rest of us AAHHHHH! They didn’t have big U-Haul trucks to haul all of their possessions either. Ezra knew that they all needed to look to and connect with the Lord in a deep and passionate way in order to get ready for the journey that lay ahead. Ezra wanted to make sure that the Lord was going to go with them and provide for their safety, so they all took time to draw close to the Lord and acknowledge their dependence on Him.  He reports that God answered the people’s prayers.

PRAYER

Thank You, Lord, for Your hand of grace and mercy in our lives. I pray that You would place within each of our hearts a greater desire to be in closer relationship with You. I pray that we would acknowledge You first before making decisions and ask You to be our guide. I ask this in Jesus Name. AMEN

Friday, Zerubbabel's Profile 

Taken from the Life Application Bible

Zerubbabel led the first and largest group back to the promised land.  His leadership was by right and recognition.  Not only was he a descendant of David, he also had personal leadership qualities.  When the people arrived in Judah, they were given time to establish living quartiers, and then were called to begin the work. They began not by laying the city walls or constructing government buildings, but by rebuilding the altar, worshipping God together, and celebrating a feast.  Under Zerubbabel's leadership, they established a spiritual foundation for their building efforts.  

The temple foundation was then quickly completed, and another round of celebration followed.  But soon two problems arose.  A few old men remembered Solomon's glorious temple and were saddened at  how mush smaller and less glorious this one was.  Also, some enemies of the Jews tried to infiltrate the work force and stop the building with political pressure.  Fear caused the work to grind to a halt.  The people went to their homes, and 16 years passed.  

We do not know what Zerubbabel did during this time.  His discouragement, following those first months of excitement and accomplishment, must have been deep.  Those feelings eventually hardened into hopelessness.  So God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to be Zerubbabel's encouraging companions.  They confronted the people's reluctance and comforted their fears.  The work began once again with renewed energy and was completed in four years.  

Zerubbabel, like many of us, knew how to start well but found it hard to keep going.  His successes depended on the quality of encouragement he received.  Zerubbabel let discouragement get the better of him.  But when he let God take control, the work was finished.  God is always in control.  We must not let circumstances or lack of encouragement slow us from doing the tasks God has given us.  

A leader needs to provide not only the initial motivation for a project, but the continued encouragement necessary to keep the project going.  A leader must also find his/her own dependable source of encouragement.  Maybe your skills are to be an encourager.  Use what God has given you.