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!