EZRA MOMENT – (22MAY19) The Jews had been in captivity for
seventy years and once they were free, they had been allowed to rebuild the
Lord’s temple. Unfortunately, there were those who sought to oppose them and
try to prevent the temple from being rebuilt. They sent letters to the king,
bribed officials, and even tried to be part of the work party, so that they
could sabotage the temple’s progress. Although the rebuilding had a temporary
delay, it was not to be denied because God was in the mix of it being completed
for His name and glory.
There may be times that when God laya it on your heart to do
a work for Him, you will face opposition. The enemy will use his imps to attempt
at distracting or preventing you from accomplishing what God has called for you
to do. Sometimes, the enemy will afflict your body, cause chaos in your family,
start trouble on your job, or even use friends to circumvent you from your
God-given task. Yet, we must pray those demons away and stay focused on the
task at hand. Many people who fight against you had not even thought of doing a
work for God themselves, yet they come against those who are proactive in doing
so. It is not always non-Christians who act in such a manner, but those who profess
to be in the body of Christ.
We are all given a work to do if we have accepted Jesus into
our hearts. There is never a need to be envious or jealous of the gifts,
talents, and doings of others because there is more than enough work for the
kingdom to go around. People must ask themselves the question, “Is what I am
doing pleasing to God, or is it because of envy and jealousy from which my
opposition is derived?” If it happens to be the latter, then a heart check
needs to be done and repentance is needed. Something to ponder…
QUESTION OF
THE DAY – (22MAY19) When there was an inquiry into the rebuilding of the temple
by the governor, the elders of the Jews gave them an honest answer in letting
them know that their ancestors had been disobedient to God and was turned over
to Babylon as a punishment for their sins. After their exile, King Cyrus
allowed for them to start the rebuilding.
It is not
always easy to be honest with others, but sometimes, we have to give people the
hardcore testimony of our lives from where God has brought us from, so that
they can receive their deliverance. Even though the governor was not trying to
get a testimony from the Jews, this honesty still stood as a testament to the
king as to their knowledge and understanding of where they went wrong as a
nation and how they had dishonored their God. It sometimes takes us getting completely
real with the past sins of our lives to help walk others out of theirs.
For example,
if you once struggled with drugs, who is best to help an addict than one who
used to be one. If you struggled with pornography, who is best to help someone
with porn addiction than a recovering porn addict. If you once struggled with a
gambling addiction, who is best to help another person who cannot seem to resist
the urge to gamble every Friday night. We are all sinners saved by grace, so
others who are struggling in their sins oftentimes need to know that the image
they see of us, is the restored version and not the original painting. Are you
able to be honest with others concerning the testimony of how Jesus freed you from
sin? Something to ponder…
EZRA MOMENT
– (22MAY19) After the haters tried to block the temple’s rebuilding, God
allowed for King Darius to be on the Jews’ side, and not only did he give them
permission to continue building, but he carried out what King Cyrus had decreed
in giving them what they needed to complete the building. The Jews of today
have a similar feeling of President Trump in that he has done what other
presidents only promised to do and that was to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital and to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Yet,
there is a major problem. God’s will was being done with the construction of
the temple because He once again wanted a place to dwell amongst His people.
But this is not the same case today.
The Jews,
with the exception of the Messianic ones, have rejected Jesus Christ as being
the true Messiah. In rebuilding the temple, they seek to restart sacrifices for
the cleansing of their sins because they have rejected Jesus as being the Son
of God who takes away the sins of the world. They do not understand that God
does not desire a building made by human hands, but He desires to live in human
hearts. What many get confused, however, is that even though something is
prophesied as to one day taking place, such as the rebuilding of the temple,
does not mean that God desired for it to happen. What does this mean? God wants
all hearts to accept salvation through Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many
people, not just the Jews, feel that they can come to God by other means. The
Bible, however, lets us know that this is not the case. No one can get to the
Father but through Jesus, rather Jew, Gentile, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. There is only ONE WAY to the Father and that
is through Jesus Christ and accepting Him as the Son of the One True God. The
temple cannot save them, the sacrificing of bulls cannot cleanse them, the
priests cannot mediate for them, and the honoring of feasts cannot provide for
them – only Jesus Christ can.
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