Living The Christian Lifestyle

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2016
Chapters: Ezra 1-3
Message: Living The Christian Lifestyle

Hello My Friend,

The Book of Ezra is the fifteenth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains ten chapters. The author of the book is Ezra, and it was written to the Jews in Babylon. The purpose of the book was to record their return from captivity after spending seventy years in Babylon and their rebuilding of the temple. The timeline for these events are approximately 536 BC to 457 BC. What we are to learn from the book is repentance and restoration are the keys to returning to God. “And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,” - Ezra 9:5.

There is not one saved person on earth who does not think about walking out of the Christian lifestyle, and many have. Our strength is in Christ, anytime we try to do things in our own strength we will fall. The great thing is that we can have those crazy thoughts, and even if we do fall, Jesus is there to catch us. One thing I have learned over the past few years is, God will let you go to the edge, He may even let you dangle there for a while, but He will never let you go. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” - John 10:28-30.

We are living in a day and age where less Christians are bringing their children up in a Godly home. Many children do not even know Jesus, let alone the lengths He went through so that they could escape the second death and hell. It may seem strange to us that they do not know about Jesus, but it really is not, perhaps God has chosen to keep Him from them because the parents do not know any better themselves. When God removed the Jews from Israel, many did know Him personally. Now, after seventy years in Babylon, God is ready for them to know Him, and for them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild it, and the temple. With the help of king Darius in Babylon, God encourages the exiles to leave Babylon and head back to Jerusalem. “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.” - Ezra 1:1-3.

“and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem,” How many times does God use the world to set His people straight? All the time. You think these terrorist attacks all over the world are just psychos? While that may be true, God is using them to warn people that judgment is coming. Right now, God is giving us these warnings, and He can found, but there will be a time when He will remove Himself just like He did in Jerusalem, and the only ones who will escape that judgment are those who know Christ as their Saviour. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” - Isaiah 55:6,7.

An account was kept of the families that came up out of captivity, out of the hundreds of thousands taken and born since, only 42,360 were willing to head back to Jerusalem. The new generation of Judah had never been in Jerusalem, they did not know God nor had a reason to leave their comforts in Babylon to go to the old, ruined city, about nine hundred miles away. Some of the Jews were not recognized by their heritage, they had no idea where they came from, they were not allowed to do work in the temple. “And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.” - Ezra 2:61-65.

“These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy,” This is an illustration of who will be able to enter the Kingdom of God. Many will be called by Jesus, but not answer, many will even do work for God, but because they are not saved they are polluted, unclean and unable to get into heaven. There is only one way to be clean and holy to stand before God and get into His Kingdom, Jesus Christ. “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” - Mark 9:1.

Two years after the Jews returned to Jerusalem the foundation was laid, it was a big celebration, and although it was only the foundation, they went right to work and built an altar. “And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.” - Ezra 3:1,10-13.

“wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:” The ones who saw the first temple were so overwhelmed by what they saw they could not help, but cry. The new generation rejoiced over what they had done together. Everyone came together as one and everything they did was as it was written in God's word. This would be the first time that many of the Jews even knew of the feast of the Lord, but they followed everything as it was written in the law of Moses as they learned it. Living a Christian lifestyle is not giving up on life, it is giving us a new life, one that will, in fact, be prosperous, one that is eternal. All who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour become dead to their sins and are reborn into a new life, one that honors God as we let go of the things we thought gave us joy and hold on to the things that truly give us joy. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” -Psalms 1:1-3.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed through By Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel), the prince of Judah (1:8). Christ is both the Prince of Peace, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah 9:6. And the Lion of the tribe of Judah, “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” - Revelation 5:5.

Today's Prayer: God, What a blessing it is to be one of Your children, not because of any good that I have done, but because of my belief in what Your Son has done for me. I am saved, redeemed, and one of Yours because I am only trusting in Him for my salvation. Thank You Jesus. While I can do anything to get into Your Kingdom, except believe in You, I can do something to reach others by living the lifestyle that You would have me to live. Lord, Lead me and guide me, let me behave in a way that others see You through me, when I get discouraged remind me that You never leave me. When I am dangling off the edge, pull me up so I will not fall. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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