The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Ezra 7-10
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 9: Return: God Delivers His People Again
Background Information: Ezra 7-10
Ezra returned to Judah after Esther had become queen. Her courageous actions, along with Mordecai’s wisdom, had saved Ezra’s life along with vast numbers of Jewish people scattered across the empire. He led the 900-mile, four-month journey back to Judah. He prepared, he prayed, and he was compelled to trust God rather than to ask for military support for the dangerous journey since he had assured the king that the Lord would protect them. When they safely arrived, things were not good in Judah. The key indicator was how many of the people had intermarried. This was not about racial and religious prejudice, but about covenant unfaithfulness. The long history of the Jewish people intermarrying had shown that the results were devastating. Apart from the decision to follow Christ, the decision of who to marry is the most important one of your life. It is a decision that shapes you in ways no other does. First, the fact that the people would marry someone with an entirely different world view means they were living, at best, two-story lives. Their faith did not impact them in the “real world” of daily life. Then, since clearly the Jewish people’s faith mattered so little to them, they were going to be the influenced, rather than the influencer in the relationship. This means a covenant commitment to God took second place to their spouses’ religious preferences. If our faith does not impact the most important decisions of our lives, then our faith must be questioned. Is it a real faith? Am I trying to live a two-story life? Ezra identified with the people. He did not stand above them and cast down judgment. He asked for God’s forgiveness as he wept and mourned with them. He was not the guilty party, but he identified with them as one of them. His humble heart for God moved the hearts of the people back to God. What follows is a sad solution to a terrible problem caused by bad choices. Families were split as the people repented of their sins. The New Testament tells us that this is not what Christians are to do now if they are married to non-believing spouses. But Ezra’s historical narrative describes, once again, the costly consequences of sin. It also tells us that the consequences of true repentance can be very costly as well.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God for opportunities to have gospel conversations. Pray that he would give you eyes to see the lost and a growing desire to be a faithful witness to his work in your life to those who are perishing.
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.