The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Ezra 4-6
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 9: Return: God Delivers His People Again
Background Information: Ezra 4-6
The people would experience opposition from the residents of the land for around seventy years. They had already waited seventy years to return to their homeland, and now patient endurance was necessary for them to rebuild the temple and the city. After some political intrigue, construction was stopped altogether for twenty years. Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah show up on the scene and construction resumes. The Israelites receive renewed support from the Persian king, but the author makes it clear that it is the favor of God and the encouragement of his prophets that propel the project forward. In the New Testament, we see that God has provided teachers and leaders in the church to build up the body of Christ into mature faith and faithfulness.
And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
Ephesians 4:11-13
God uses his people, called and equipped, to build up his people. The grand narrative of the Old Testament is about God’s greatness, but a sub-plot is how he uses his people for his purposes. It is not just prophets, priests and pastors whom God uses to bring the necessary encouragement which we need to endure. God intends to use every believer to pour courage into one another. Certainly, we need God’s grace to endure, but we also need one another in order to resist the temptation to turn away from God and cut off his grace in our lives by falling into sin.
“Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.”
Hebrews 3:12-13
The rebuilding of the temple was a physical project that required faith and endurance. The project was long, hard, and opposed by many. The building up of the church is a spiritual project that requires the same faith and endurance. Likewise, it will be long, hard, and face much opposition. To endure in this all-important, arduous project, we must do all we can to encourage one another daily. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We must determine to go far; we must be found faithful all the way to end.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for FCA. Ask God to use Keith Townsend to encourage believing athletes and coach to be strong in their faith. Ask God to use FCA to make the gospel known to athletes.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.