Forgotten Books of the Bible - Ezra 6 - Pain turned to Joy!

 

'Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened

Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout

the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria

to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild

the Temple of God, the God of Israel.'

Ezra 6:22. https://my.bible.com/bible/116/EZR.6.22

I cannot imagine the joy felt by the nation of Israel when the 2nd Temple was completed. When they were allowed to return home from 70 years of exile, they wanted life to get back to normal. NORMAL included the temple. But, they had few resources and there was so much opposition. FINALLY, King Darius gave them much-needed support to finish the project. What started out as a battle just to maintain their freedom turned out to be a huge blessing. The enemy wanted to stop the Temple construction. Instead, the king instructed this opposition to help! They had to provide money, materials, and all that the returned exiles needed. What an amazing UNEXPECTED GIFT from the Lord. 

How many times has God turned your life from pain and heartache to great joy beyond all you could ever imagine?

For me, this occurred in 2017. I left school that year, defeated, depressed, and attacked. I saw no hope. I saw no joy in our future. Yet, all of that pain led to the great joy I have today. God wanted more for me than I could ever imagine. The Lord used the sins of Israel to lead them to great joy when this second Temple was completed. God took my pain that May of 2017 and turned it into joy. 

Yes, I still have moments of pain and suffering. I still have times of depression and defeat. But, I know that the Lord will take those things and turn them into great joy. I anxiously anticipate that great joy. Thank you Lord in advance for all that you are about to do in our lives!

Forgotten Books of the Bible - Ezra 5

'“This was their answer: ‘We are the servants

of the God of heaven and earth, and we are

rebuilding the Temple that was built here

many years ago by a great king of Israel. ' Ezra 5:11 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/EZR.5.11

How much opposition do you face in your everyday spiritual life?

I would guess, if you are a normal American Christian, you have faced little direct resistance to your faith. Can you imagine our churches destroyed, being uprooted from our homes to be taken away to a foreign country?  That is exactly what happened to Israel. They admit in Ezra 5:12, "But, because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar." It was their fault. After 70+ years of exile, they finally saw where the blame belonged. Sure, the Babylonians were a part of their pain and anguish, but the real responsibility for the exile belonged to Israel and their rejection of God.

We have always considered ourselves to be a Christian nation. I am not sure about that right now. We face some serious challenges to that claim. Yes, it is easy to blame the faithless for our problems, but are we like Israel?  Have we angered God by our lukewarm faith?  Have we abandoned God while expecting him to remain faithful?

Maybe we are not facing much resistance in our lives because we are not being bold about our faith.

After their return from exile, the nation of Israel made a stand. They began rebuilding the temple in spite of the opposition they were facing. They stood up for their faith. When was the last time YOU openly, publicly, stood up for your faith? Yes, you might face some serious consequences. I doubt you will be exiled to a far country, but you might be ostracized by your community, or shunned by your family. Would you be willing to take a stand even if it meant sure vocal or physical resistance? 

Please Lord give us an attitude of boldness in faith. Help us to be confident in spreading the gospel message even when we face opposition. We love you. We claim we belong to you. Help us to show that by everything we do. Amen!

 

Forgotten Books of the Bible - Ezra 4

 

We are going to face opposition. 

Israel was filled with joy as King Cyrus gave them permission to rebuild the temple. It was a huge task. In chapter 4 of Ezra the enemy took great joy in disrupting this project. They even tried to trick Israel into letting them help. In reality, all they wanted to do was sabotage the work. When that didn't work, the enemies of Israel tried to bribe people to work against this project. The enemies never gave up. When the King fell into the hand of Artaxerxes, they sent a letter to him to keep the project from moving forward. IT WORKED!

'So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stopped,

and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign

of King Darius of Persia.'

Ezra 4:24. https://my.bible.com/bible/116/EZR.4.24

We are going to face opposition in this life. The enemy will have his victories. We will feel like God has abandoned us. We will be frustrated at the delays and the barriers placed in our path. But, Remember, God is in control. He alone determines the seasons, they setting of the Sun and the placement of the stars. Do not give up! Pursue the Lord with all your heart, even when life is difficult and at a "standstill."

The enemy wants nothing more than to separate you from God. Do not let him get a foothold with doubt and worry. GOD WINS, always, always, always. The Battle is not yours it is the Lord's!

When David was fighting the great Philistine, Goliath, these verses were spoken with confidence:

'David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword,

spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord

of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom

you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will

kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead

bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the

whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And

everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues

his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord ’s

battle, and he will give you to us!” '

1 Samuel 17:45-47

https://my.bible.com/bible/116/1SA.17.45-47

The battle is not yours. The Battle belongs to the Lord!!!!!!!

Forgotten Books of the Bible - Ezra 3

 

'With praise and thanks, they sang this song

to the Lord : “He is so good! His faithful love

for Israel endures forever!” Then all the people

gave a great shout, praising the Lord because

the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been

laid. But many of the older priests, Levites, and

other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept

aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation.

The others, however, were shouting for joy. The

joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in

a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance.' Ezra 3:11-13 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/EZR.3.11-13

There are times in my day, I long for the past. I long for the days of childhood with no cares except where I was going to ride my bike. I long for the days playing with my good friend Dougie Seal or little league baseball or backpacking in our youth group. There are other times I sit back and praise God for the joy of being a grandparent, being retired, spending time serving the Lord, and the joy of riding my motorcycle. 

IN the middle of my thoughts of joy, I also look back and remember times of darkness, loss, and worry. As I think about today, I also feel anxiety about family issues, financial issues, ministry, and the state of our world. 

My life is a mixture of joyful shouting and weeping. The book of Ezra couldn't have stated it any clearer. Our lives are filled with the mingling of joy and sorrow. Yet, from the beginning of time, God has been with us. He walks with us, and he hears us. 

The glass is both half full and half empty. There is not just one way to look at life. Both ways are correct. I pray that each person has joy in their life that they can shout about. I pray that they feel comfortable weeping before the Lord. He wants to hear it all, and I praise him that he does listen to us with pure love. 

Scripture should have an impact on your life. How does this scripture change you?  Who can you share it with? 

One thought:  Help others know times of darkness and sadness can draw us closer to the Lord. Many people don't recognize the Lord when things are going well, they only come to him when they cry for help. Today when someone celebrates the joy in their life, make sure they know GOD should be at the center of BOTH JOY AND SORROW. He celebrates with us AND cries with us. Thank you Lord!

Forgotten Books of The Bible - Ezra 2

 

I have been wearing this patch on my back for the past 13 years. I always get a sense of pride when I wear this logo. It identifies me, not just with CMA, but it also identifies me as a follower of Jesus Christ. Wearing this symbol has changed me. When I wear it, I am more aware of my actions and how they represent my faith. 

One of the complaints of non-Christians is that Christians are so hypocritical. They act one way on Sunday and completely different the other six days. Christians are quick to say we are not perfect. Sometimes I think we use that as an excuse. I see many of my Christian friends on social media feed the theory of hypocrisy in our faith. We should be different!

As I was reading Ezra 2 today, I was struck by verses 59 and 62:

'They searched for their names in the genealogical

records, but they were not found, so they were

disqualified from serving as priests. Another group

returned at this time from the towns of Tel-melah,

Tel-harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer. However,

they could not prove that they or their families

were descendants of Israel. ' Ezra 2:59,62. https://my.bible.com/bible/116/EZR.2.59,62

Could you prove you were a Christian?  Do you live your life in a way where people know you belong to Jesus? 

 Even when I am not wearing my CMA colors, I want to make sure my words, my actions, and my thoughts, speak loudly about my faith. We are going to mess up, but we must not take that lightly. We need to make sure our lives are set apart. We must be different than the rest of the world. 

IF people can not see any difference, if there is no joy and peace in our lives, and if there is nothing that points people to Jesus, are we living the life God wants us to live?  Would we be disqualified from serving as a priest? 

Can you prove your life belongs to Jesus?