Christian Commentary Encouraging Devotions

From the church prayer meeting last night...

Lord, move Your people to pray.

We are unable to move ourselves.

There's opposition to moving close to God.

To moving on with God.

Deal with it.

In Jesus' Name.

Follow that dream...

the one that's been birthed in prayer/ bathed in prayer.

People are on their way to a Christless eternity.

I'm asking God to give me the same passion for Him and for lost souls

that I just experienced getting people to vote for an online funding contest

for our local youth centre.

I want to be as committed, as obsessed

as I've been for the past two weeks.

Where does that passion, that commitment, that resolve come from?

Certainly not from me.

I can't even commit to consistent walking on the treadmill!

I need God!

Without Him, I can do nothing.

Now, that's scriptural!

Our pastors are doing a series on

"Then Came Jesus".

As we wait on Him, taking the time to wait on Him,

He will come to us.

When we call on Him.

In desperation.

From Ezra...

The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. Ezra 1:1

"Rebuild the house of the Lord." Ezra 1:3

Everyone whose spirit God had stirred. Ezra 1:5

According to their ability they gave. Ezra 2:69

They built the altar.

They celebrated the feast. Ezra 3:2-4

Worship came first. Building second.

Sacrifice before service.

They laid the foundation. Ezra 3:10

Then came the opposition.

The people of the land discouraged them,

frightened them, hired counsellors to frustrate them,

wrote an accusation against them. Ezra 4:4-6

Stopped them by force of arms. Ezra 4:23

Later they got back to the Word. Ezra 6:1-3

We always have to go back to the Word.

That's how we battle opposition.

"Leave this work on the house of God alone," declared the authority. Ezra 6:7

And they were successful in building. Ezra 6:14

Whatever is commanded by God,

let it be done with zeal. Ezra 7:23

Zeal = passionate ardor in the pursuit of anything.

A fast was proclaimed,

that they might humble themselves before God.

The hand of God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him. Ezra 8:21-22

The hand of God was over them and He delivered them from the hand of the enemy

and the ambushes by the way. Ezra 8:31

Watch out for the ambushes.

To be continued...Lord willing.