Date:
Monday,
May 18, 2015
Chapters: Ezra 4-6
Message Title: Get Back Up
Hello My Friend,
Sometimes it's not easy being a Christian, we face constant criticism, not only from the world, but fellow Christians as well, especially when we are trying to serve God. You can be sure that once you start serving God obstacles will come your way to try and stop you. The amazing thing is that everything is in God's hands and timing, once He sets you on that journey HI has you on, He will stop at nothing for you to complete it, you might even get hung up once in a while, but God never hangs up on you. “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” - Proverbs 24:15,16.
It's really exciting when you first dedicate Your life to Christ, an excitement and drive flows through your body, you are eager to serve God and see Him work in your life. When the call came to the Jews in Babylon to rebuild the temple, they were so eager to get there and get it done. It started of great, the foundation was laid, and them something happened. The natives there did not take too kindly to them rebuilding the one thing that they knew would cause a problem for them, God's house.
“Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them. Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.” - Ezera 4:4-6,19-21.
You can be sure that once you start serving God, opposition will come to the point that it may even be stopped for a while. We all make goals and plans in life, yet very rarely do we end up doing what we had so much hope in doing. We cannot look at our not fulfilling the plans we have for our lives as failure, they are not, they are opportunities to bring us closer to God and know the actual plan He has for us. You know, one time in my life I saw myself in New Zealand leading people to Jesus, and after five years of hope and praying, God showed me why He did not want me to go there and what would have happened if I did. Disappointments and set backs are God's way of saying, “I have something much better for you.”, He knows what we need and desire, and if we trust Him, and get back to serving Him wholeheartedly, He will show us what He really desires for us. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11-13.
For fourteen years the temple remained unfinished while the Jews attended to rebuilding the city. It took the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to remind them that they had not finished the temple and it was time to get back to work. This time God was with them and nothing would stop them. “Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.” - Ezra 5:1-3,8.
Fear, hindrances, and discouragement can put us to a stopping halt, that's where fellow Christians come in. Those who are a little stronger in their faith, who have been where you are, and are there to give you some encouragement and get you back up again. We need to be encouraged, it's our only hope that this life we are living will ever be worth staying in. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” - Romans 15:1-4.
Now, after their pep talk, and a talk with the king, the work of the temple resumed, this time the work was backed up by God Himself. “Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house: And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God. Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence: Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.” - Ezra 6:1,3-7,12.
When life sets us back from doing the things that even God wants us to do, we can't throw in the towel and give up, we have to keep going. God is with us, He really is and the times you think that He is no where to be found, that is when He is preparing us and making things ready for us. Sometimes, we are not in any position to do the things we plan to be doing, but with a little faith and trust in God, we get right back up and move forward. If we try to do everything in our own strength we will fail, but with God backing us up, there is nothing He will not do for us. “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
Today's Prayer: God, Sometimes that picture is so clear, but we cannot see it because we become clouded with discouragement, fear, or disappointments over the things we want. Lord, remove the clouds and open our eyes so we can see what You want for us. Lead us and guide us, give us strength to move forward and let us not let set back keep us from getting back up and going again. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Chapters: Ezra 4-6
Message Title: Get Back Up
Hello My Friend,
Sometimes it's not easy being a Christian, we face constant criticism, not only from the world, but fellow Christians as well, especially when we are trying to serve God. You can be sure that once you start serving God obstacles will come your way to try and stop you. The amazing thing is that everything is in God's hands and timing, once He sets you on that journey HI has you on, He will stop at nothing for you to complete it, you might even get hung up once in a while, but God never hangs up on you. “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” - Proverbs 24:15,16.
It's really exciting when you first dedicate Your life to Christ, an excitement and drive flows through your body, you are eager to serve God and see Him work in your life. When the call came to the Jews in Babylon to rebuild the temple, they were so eager to get there and get it done. It started of great, the foundation was laid, and them something happened. The natives there did not take too kindly to them rebuilding the one thing that they knew would cause a problem for them, God's house.
“Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them. Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.” - Ezera 4:4-6,19-21.
You can be sure that once you start serving God, opposition will come to the point that it may even be stopped for a while. We all make goals and plans in life, yet very rarely do we end up doing what we had so much hope in doing. We cannot look at our not fulfilling the plans we have for our lives as failure, they are not, they are opportunities to bring us closer to God and know the actual plan He has for us. You know, one time in my life I saw myself in New Zealand leading people to Jesus, and after five years of hope and praying, God showed me why He did not want me to go there and what would have happened if I did. Disappointments and set backs are God's way of saying, “I have something much better for you.”, He knows what we need and desire, and if we trust Him, and get back to serving Him wholeheartedly, He will show us what He really desires for us. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11-13.
For fourteen years the temple remained unfinished while the Jews attended to rebuilding the city. It took the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to remind them that they had not finished the temple and it was time to get back to work. This time God was with them and nothing would stop them. “Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.” - Ezra 5:1-3,8.
Fear, hindrances, and discouragement can put us to a stopping halt, that's where fellow Christians come in. Those who are a little stronger in their faith, who have been where you are, and are there to give you some encouragement and get you back up again. We need to be encouraged, it's our only hope that this life we are living will ever be worth staying in. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” - Romans 15:1-4.
Now, after their pep talk, and a talk with the king, the work of the temple resumed, this time the work was backed up by God Himself. “Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house: And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God. Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence: Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.” - Ezra 6:1,3-7,12.
When life sets us back from doing the things that even God wants us to do, we can't throw in the towel and give up, we have to keep going. God is with us, He really is and the times you think that He is no where to be found, that is when He is preparing us and making things ready for us. Sometimes, we are not in any position to do the things we plan to be doing, but with a little faith and trust in God, we get right back up and move forward. If we try to do everything in our own strength we will fail, but with God backing us up, there is nothing He will not do for us. “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
Today's Prayer: God, Sometimes that picture is so clear, but we cannot see it because we become clouded with discouragement, fear, or disappointments over the things we want. Lord, remove the clouds and open our eyes so we can see what You want for us. Lead us and guide us, give us strength to move forward and let us not let set back keep us from getting back up and going again. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe: Daily Devotion
Ready To Follow Jesus?: God's Price
Visit Our Website: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
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