One Year Bible, August 8

EZRA 7:1 - 8:20                                                                                                                       BEGINNING OF A NEW THING IN THE CHURCH:  It has been 63 years since the completion of the Temple, and the end of chapter 6, and it is now the Fall,458 BC, and God is poised to do a "quick work"(7:17 & Rom 9:28).  Ezra has arrived (120 day trip) with a retinue of about 2000 people, and becomes a teaching priest.  While Ezra was still in Babylon, a royal decree was made on his behalf and he made preparations for his task.  Nearly a whole chapter (7) lists all the full and unlimited provision for his work.  God had put "a thing" in the King's heart.   The source of Ezra's strength was in knowing that God was acting with him and in him.

AUTHORITY:  Ezra was given full authority, "after the wisdom of thy God".  Anyone who opposed the restoration of a man/church, may be killed (flesh), banished, imprisoned, or his goods confiscated.  EZRA'S TRUMP CARD: (7:9) "the good hand of God" was on him. This was source of Ezra's courage, boldness, endurance.   The "hand of God" on me is a manifestion of God in protection, authority, power and strength.

THE REGISTER:  The import here is that these are finally joining the pioneers who came 80 years before.  All the family names but Joab, are already found in Ezra 2, which tells me that the family clans were divided in who came back in the first place.   The 3-day stop by the river revealed the total absence of Levites and some of the other Temple servants.  So Ezra sent emissaries back to Babylon to bring some out!

RESPONSE: It costs a lot of money to support the Gospel!  But God makes all the provision Himself.  What God calls "a quick work" and what I call "a quick work" are two different things!  I am thinking the next few hours should do it!  It took Ezra 120 days just to get there! 

1 CORINTHIANS 4:1-21                                                                                                    
FATHERS OF THE FAITH:   They are the matured, seasoned believers, chosen by God, not by each other, and they are not self-appointed.  They are usually the "elders" of churches.  Self-appointed "fathers" are TOXIC.  "Stewards of the mysteries of God" - They don't OWN their ministry assignment; God does.   But they have charge of preparation, dispensing, accuracy, faithfulness, purity of it, and are completely accountable to GOD.   God gave them the assignment, and God oversees them in their assignment, and God can remove them any time He sees fit.  God especially continually reviews and reveals their motives!  (public ministry, public exposure)  "Fathers of the faith" focus on causing OTHERS to overcome and live successfully as spiritual people.  They are responsible for laying down an example and pathway for others to follow.  And they, alone, have the authority to deal with people's "issues", churchwide.  On the downside, they intercept the persecution, the insults, and "go without" in order to feed the sheep.  And for their troubles, they get treated like something you would scrape off the bottom on your shoe!  Consequently, "you have not many fathers."

RESPONSE:  I have known a few "fathers of the faith", and have been especially impressed at their humility.  They just sloughed off insults, kept smiling and praying, and pressed on. They didn't look for recognition for all the work they did either. The other characteristic that was obvious was their exceeding joy. They acted like theirs was the best assignment of them all, even though they worked hard, suffered great losses, did ignoble tasks, and were persecuted as being "simple"! Every motive was studied by outsiders, looking for something to blame them for. They had hard decisions to make, and often couldn't talk to anyone but Jesus about them. I am proud to know them. I salute you!

PSALM 30:1-12                                                                                                                  
My confidence is built on the fact that I trust God for safety, for everything that is "good for His purpose." Any sorrow that comes into my life, is always TEMPORARY. Having dealt with depression for many years, I say with confidence, "You have turned my mourning into dancing."   He has "lifted me up" - to let down a bucket and draw up. Joy comes "in the morning" because resurrection ALWAYS follows "death". God always draws us back up. Count on it!

PROVERBS 20:28-30                                                                                                          
"Grace and truth" are only fully residing in Jesus (John 1:17). They are two sides of the same coin: faithfulness to his word, the resources to carry out what he said. Old people have wisdom and experience.  In America, it is no great honor to have grey hair, though!  Unfortunately, grey hair is not always a sign of wisdom!

"Inward parts of the belly" probably refer to the soul, and is distinct from the "outward man" which "perishes".   The "inward parts of the belly"  may be "corrupt," is subject to "vanity" and can be "alienated from the life of God."   It is good to know that there is a way to reach it for correction!  Because (Psa 5:9) wickedness can live there, (Luk 11:39) it can be full of greed and wickedness, and (Prov 20:30), it can be "evil". This describes a natural man left to himself. (or a 2-year-old)  I don't know that I would ever put bruises on a child, but the Bible teaches in Heb 12 that God doesn't mind doing it to adults!

RESPONSE:   When God is angry: I can feel His displeasure. His is that voice that won't go away. Usually it is saying, "You need to repent. You need to repent. You need to repent." In the meantime, He hides His face. He does that to draw me out. To get me to pursue Him again, instead of trying to hide myself. The only way out of the pit is through God - so why wait to repent? I probably wait because it almost always involves someone else - and I have to submit for correction and forgiveness from them. UGH!