tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22806551115730621092024-03-05T10:36:35.230-06:00My Garden WalkMay this window into my life help you see that The Garden Walk is beautiful...and waiting for you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.comBlogger1344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-23999411395200282782017-12-22T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-22T05:00:30.528-06:00Wait on the LORD.<p>Everything seemed to be going from bad to worse for the Israelites living in Babylonian captivity. They only good thing was that one of their own, Esther, became queen. That won’t do any good, though, when they are all put to death under the king’s proclamation. Haman, the king’s right hand man, is winning. Now, he thinks the king wants to honor him above all others in the kingdom.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So he replied, "If the king wishes to honor someone, he should bring out one of the king's own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden--one with a royal emblem on its head. Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king's robes and led through the city square on the king's horse. Have the official shout as they go, 'This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!'" (Esther 6:7-9 NLT)</font></p><p>Little did he know that the king wanted to honor Mordecai, the Israelite, instead. Mordecai got the royal treatment and Haman had to lead him around town proclaiming Mordecai’s greatness. The Israelites won a victory that day. God worked through the king’s dreams.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Queen Esther replied, "If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king." "Who would do such a thing?" King Xerxes demanded. "Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?" Esther replied, "This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy." Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. (Esther 7:3-6 NLT)</font></p><p>Haman thought that dinner with the king and queen was something good. Little did he know that queen Esther was going to do her part of the LORD’s plan. She would stand up for her people to the king. God worked through the king’s wife.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king how they were related. The king took off his signet ring--which he had taken back from Haman--and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's property. (Esther 8:1-2 NLT)</font></p><p>Perhaps they would have never known the blessings of God without seeing the very real curses that were befalling them. Maybe they needed the stress of the problems so they would experience the relief of the solutions. Or, it could have just been the timing of God’s plan unfolding with a very real enemy fighting desperately with one last ditch effort. Whatever the reason, God worked things out through God’s plan in God’s timing. They simply needed to trust and wait on the LORD.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants. (Esther 10:3 NLT)</font><p>They didn’t realize it while they were going through it, but God was setting up His next several moves. Esther as queen and Mordecai as prime minister would start to set the tone for the Babylonian empire treating the Jewish nation differently. Ezra would soon be allowed to return and rebuild the temple of the LORD. Nehemiah would then be allowed to return and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The Israelites would then be allowed to go home and live as a remnant-nation again. God was setting the stage for the next move: Jesus.<p>How about you? Do you trust God to work things out through God’s plan in God’s timing? Do you do your part and trust God to do His part? Do you wait on the LORD?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-71091279081572962412017-12-21T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-21T11:08:21.895-06:00What is God’s part?<p>The Israelites are in captivity. Women are being subjected to men. Haman is second in charge of the Babylonian empire and he wants to kill all the Jews. Now the king, Xerxes, has agreed to a proclamation that will allow the Israelites to be wiped out.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious. (Esther 5:9 NLT)</font><p>Even with Esther becoming queen, Mordecai was not safe. She agreed to speak to her husband, the king, after three days of fasting and prayer. That’s because she and Mordecai both knew the truth: it’s not their plan. God is the one with the plan. God is the one working things out. God is the one working in and through many people to bring a solution to those who love God and are called according to His purpose <font color="#9bbb59">(Romans 8:28)</font>.<p><font color="#9bbb59">His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself." This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up. (Esther 5:14 NIV)</font><p>Sometimes things get worse before they get better. Sometimes it seems like God is being slow in keeping His promises, but it is not slowness at all <font color="#9bbb59">(2 Peter 3:9)</font>. God is simply working out much more than we realize. We only experience peace in all circumstances when we trust God to have the plan, we join God by doing our part, and then we trust God to do God’s part. Sometimes, God’s part includes something that we didn’t see coming.<p><font color="#9bbb59">When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed Him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified--one on His right and one on His left. (Luke 23:33 NLT)</font><p>How about you? Do you trust God with the plan? Do you join God by learning and then doing your part of God’s plan? Do you trust God to do God’s part?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-77260748082209011722017-12-20T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-20T09:40:24.236-06:00What is my part?<p>We all face problems in life. Working through them is much easier when we trust that God has a solution. The Israelites were in captivity and now one of their own is queen, even though she hasn’t told the king Xerxes that she is a Jew. Esther and her cousin, Mordecai, are starting to see God’s solution to their problem. Their problem is about to get worse, though. A new character enters the story: Haman.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. All the king's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect. (Esther 3:1-2 NLT)</font><p>Haman gets power hungry and full of pride. He wants respect from everyone as the king’s right-hand man. It probably wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he wants to one day be king. Mordecai wouldn’t bow down to him, so Mordecai became the focus of his anger.<p><font color="#9bbb59">When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai's nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. (Esther 3:5-6 NLT)</font><p>Now, a problem between Haman and Mordecai has become a problem between Haman and all Israelites. They will all be put to death because of his pride and anger. He even convinces the king. Now, Esther and all of her kinsmen will die. Her cousin Mordecai tries to convince her to go talk to the king.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: "Don't think for a moment that because you're in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: "Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die." (Esther 4:13-16 NLT)</font><p>There is a moment in every solution that we end up asking ourselves a question: What is my part? This is good and God wants us to ask the question. God has a solution to our problems, but God also offers to involve us in that solution. When we ask what our part is, we are asking God to lead us in our involvement. When we do, we experience more than peace. We experience a sense of joy that comes from doing our part of God’s plan.<p>How about you? Do you trust that God has a solution to your problems? Do you ask God how you should be involved in that solution? Do you ask, “What is my part?”Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-57625424643226461672017-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-19T10:40:59.932-06:00God has a solution.<p>The Israelites had a problem: they were in Babylonian captivity because of their rebellion. Women in the day had a problem: they were made subject to men of the kingdom by king Xerxes’ decree. King Xerxes had a problem: he just banished his beautiful wife from ever being in his presence again.<p><font color="#9bbb59">But after Xerxes' anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. So his personal attendants suggested, "Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. (Esther 2:1-2 NLT)</font><p>When we have problems, we search for solutions. Sometimes we turn to God to give us the solution. Sometimes we ask God to help us come up with the solution. Sometimes we don’t even think about God or even ask. Even when we forget to ask, though, God is at work.<p><font color="#9bbb59">[Mordecai and h]is family had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter. As a result of the king's decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king's harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai's care. (Esther 2:6-8 NLT)</font><p>Got was starting to work out a solution for Xerxes. God was starting to work out a solution for women. God was starting to work out a solution for the Israelites. An Israelite woman was about to become the next queen of the Babylonian empire.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther's honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone. (Esther 2:16-18 NLT)</font><p>Sometimes faith is the most important part of finding a solution to our problem. We believe that God exists. We believe that God has everything under control. We believe that God works together for the good of those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose. When we trust that God has a solution to our problems, we stop trying to come up with our own. Instead, we start watching for God. And, we have peace.<p><font color="#9bbb59">One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh--who were guards at the door of the king's private quarters--became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report. When an investigation was made and Mordecai's story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes' Reign. (Esther 2:21-23 NLT)</font><p>How about you? What do you do when you have a problem? Do you try to come up with a solution? Do you involve God in the process? Do you trust God to work things out? Do you believe God has a solution?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-65967641586115426742017-12-18T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-18T08:37:42.959-06:00We have a problem.<p>This entire series, we’ve been walking through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. We’ve looked at the Israelites returning from captivity to rebuild the Temple of the LORD and the city walls of Jerusalem. I said that we had reached the end of the Old Testament chronologically and that was true. What I didn’t say was that we had skipped a book. That is the book we will cover this week to finish out our time in the Old Testament. It is the book of Esther.<p><font color="#9bbb59">These events happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces. The celebration lasted 180 days--a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty. (Esther 1:1-4 NLT)</font><p>The book of Esther shows up after Ezra and Nehemiah in our Bibles, but it actually occurred before those books chronologically. King Xerxes reigned in the Babylonian empire during the time that the Israelites were in captivity, but they were not allowed to return to rebuild the Temple or the walls yet. Things were bad for the Jews.<p><font color="#9bbb59">On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him...to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king's order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger. (Esther 1:10-12 NLT)</font><p>Xerxes wasn’t doing so well either. He looked at his wife through a drunken stupor and only saw an object of lust. He tried to get all the other men to see her that way, and his wife refused to show up. So, he got angry and declared that she would never be allowed in his presence again. He just banned himself from his own wife. Things were bad for Xerxes.<p><font color="#9bbb59">The king and his nobles thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan's counsel. He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home... (Esther 1:21-22 NLT)</font><p>Out of anger, he also sent a proclamation throughout the whole land stating that women needed to be subject to their own husbands. Whatever the man says, goes. Throughout the land, things were not going well for women, either. It reminds me of another time when people were being cursed for their actions.<p>Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? They had God, each other, and a whole garden to enjoy. They only thing they were warned against was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they eat from that, they will surely die. They ate that fruit. The serpent was forced to slither around on its belly. The man would now need to work by the sweat of his brow. The woman was punished also.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Then He said to the woman, "I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you." (Genesis 3:16 NLT)</font><p>When we come to God, the Bible, and Church, we often show up because we have a problem. The problem gets us down. We struggle with facing the problem. We don’t know what to do about the problem? We’re hoping that God is bigger than, the Bible will have the solution to, and the Church will help us through the problem.<p>How about you? Do you have a problem? Is that why you are turning to God?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-40879695628344868032017-12-15T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-15T05:00:39.151-06:00Walk with God.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Then the rest of the people--the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, Temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the pagan people of the land in order to obey the Law of God, together with their wives, sons, daughters, and all who were old enough to understand--joined their leaders and bound themselves with an oath. They swore a curse on themselves if they failed to obey the Law of God as issued by His servant Moses. They solemnly promised to carefully follow all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the LORD our Lord: (Nehemiah 10:28-29 NLT)</font><p>Building a city starts with building ourselves, our spouses, our children. It begins when we walk with God, lead our family to walk with God, and then help others do the same. There is no alternative to God’s Plan. There is no shortcut to God’s process. This is God’s way of showing, and helping, all people to walk together with God. Only when we change our path to match God’s do we start to enjoy the walk.<p><font color="#9bbb59">For the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres. Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away. (Nehemiah 12:27, 43 NLT)</font><p>How about you? Do you walk with God? Does your spouse? Do your children? Do you enjoy the walk? Do you work with God to help others to walk together with God?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-51958111312784544652017-12-14T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-14T05:00:19.295-06:00Turn to God.<p>The Israelites in Ezra and Nehemiah’s day completed the Temple and the wall of Jerusalem. It was time to begin “normal life” again, but they had lived most, if not all, of their lives in captivity because of their sin. They listened to the Law. They celebrated what God has done. But, when they look at themselves, they don’t want to celebrate. That’s because they had done so much wrong.<p><font color="#9bbb59">On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the LORD their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God. (Nehemiah 9:1-3 NLT)</font><p>The prophet Malachi lived and served around this same time. When Malachi prophesied, he shared the kinds of sin that the Israelites were guilty of living in their generation. Here are some of the examples.<ul><li><font color="#9bbb59">Giving our leftovers to God. (Malachi 1:7-8)</font></li><li><font color="#9bbb59">Causing other people to sin. (Malachi 2:8)</font></li><li><font color="#9bbb59">Divorce and other sexual immorality. (Malachi 2:14-16)</font></li><li><font color="#9bbb59">Cheating God’s work/ers by not supporting them. (Malachi 3:8-10)</font></li></ul><p>When they heard the whole of God’s law, they were convicted in their own mind and heart of their rebellion. If they tried to justify their actions in the reading of the law, they had another round of feeling convicted when Malachi prophesied. That’s because God has clearly communicated the only solution to our rebellion: turn back to God.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">The LORD of Heaven's Armies says, "The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed--roots, branches, and all. "But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. (Malachi 4:1-2 NLT)</font></p><p>How about you? Do you have a place or places where you are convicted of your rebellion against God? Do you turn back to God?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-10192337559260555442017-12-13T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-13T05:00:14.865-06:00Do what God says.<p>When Ezra read the book of the Law to the Israelites in their day, the people started to realize the many ways in which they had not been walking together with God. They started to be sad and afraid. This, however, was not a day set apart by God for sadness and repentance. This day wasn’t about them. The day was about God. When they put their focus on God and everything God has done for them, they celebrated.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, "Don't mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God." For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, "Hush! Don't weep! For this is a sacred day." (Nehemiah 8:9-11 NLT)</font><p>Often times, we miss God’s point because we get caught up in our own point of view. It’s much easier to look at the world through our eyes and more difficult to look at it through God’s eyes. The LORD, however, wants us to take the time to look at things through God’s eyes. Every seventh day was set apart for just such a time. When we do, things make sense. When we do, we understand our part of God’s Plan. When we do, we know how to walk together with God.<p><font color="#9bbb59">So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God's words and understood them. (Nehemiah 8:12 NLT)</font><p>How about you? Do you take the time to look at things through God’s eyes? When you do, do things start to make more sense? When you do, do you see your part of God’s Plan? When you do, do you know how to walk together with God? Then, do you do what God says?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-77442693597004547232017-12-12T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-12T05:00:21.200-06:00Listen to God<p>In the book of Ezra, we learned to build God’s Church as they rebuilt the Temple of the LORD. In the book of Nehemiah, we learned how to build our city while they rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Through it all, we learned a principle that has repeated itself many times over throughout Scripture: We should learn to listen to God.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet. Then Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people chanted, "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. The Levites--Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah--then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. (Nehemiah 8:5-8 NLT)</font><p>Listening to God may have been easy and straightforward for Adam and Eve. They walked together with God in the Garden of Eden. They knew when it was God who spoke and when it was not. Now, we find ourselves learning to discern God’s voice by filtering out the many, many voices that vie for our attention. We do this by listening to God’s Word and then taking the time to understand it.<p><font color="#9bbb59">"The purpose of My covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered Me and stood in awe of My name. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from Me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with Me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin. The words of a priest's lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. (Malachi 2:5-7 NLT)</font><p>Now, Christians are God’s Church, Christ’s Ambassadors, and a Kingdom. We are messengers of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. We are priests. Our words, like the priests of old, should point people to God’s Words which bring life and peace. Our lives should reflect a reverence and awe of God’s Name. Our instructions should pass on the truth of God to anyone who will listen. Our lives should be good and righteous, turned away from sin, walking together with God.<p>How about you? Do you listen to God? Do you take the time to understand God’s words? Do you pass along the words of God that bring life and peace?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-48939820858058572452017-12-11T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-11T05:01:10.052-06:00Work with God<p>The back half of this series has been focused on Nehemiah and the Israelites who have returned from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which they did. Then they returned “home.”</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So my God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was written there...a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah. (Nehemiah 7:5, 66a NLT)</font><p>They were accused of rebuilding the wall because they wanted to rebel against the current occupation and king. That wasn’t their motivation at all, though. They simply wanted to walk together with God in the way that God had commanded in the Law. They couldn’t do that without the Temple. They couldn’t do that without the Levites and priests. They could do it in safety with the wall.<p><font color="#9bbb59">In October, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey. So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law. (Neh. 7:73b-8:3 NLT)</font><p>Much of the Bible makes no sense unless we understand this principle. The people of God want, more than anything else, to be with God. They want to walk with God. When there’s work to do, they want to work with God. When heaven is described to us, it begins with these people getting what they want: being in the presence of God.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.”
(Revelation 21:1-3 NLT)</font></p><p>How about you? Do you want to be in the presence of God? Do you want to walk with God? Do you want to work with God? Do you look forward to someday seeing, face to face, God?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-41985946813055424732017-12-08T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-08T05:00:36.592-06:00The building project will succeed<p>This week we had a gathering time together that we call “Rest Stop.” It’s an evening each month designed for the workers in ministry. We stop, rest, worship, and are encouraged before going back into our day to day work of ministry. I find myself looking forward to these meetings every month. They help rejuvenate me as well.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places He planned to visit.
(Matthew 10:1; Luke 10:1 NLT)</font></p><p>This month we were encourage by passages from Matthew 10 and Luke 10, where Jesus sends out the twelve and the seventy two to practice the kind of ministry they would be doing full time after the day of Pentecost. </p><p><font color="#9bbb59">"But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows--one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. "Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But everyone who denies Me here on earth, I will also deny before My Father in heaven.
(Matthew 10:26-33 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>He empowered them with the Holy Spirit, gave them instructions (Read both chapters for a more complete picture), then sent them out two by two to do their part of God’s Plan. That was what they did. When they did their part of God’s Plan, they experienced success.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to Him, "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use Your name!" "Yes," He told them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you."
(Luke 10:17-19 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>When we go out to rebuild our cities into people who walk together with God, we are participating in God’s Plan. When we do our part of God’s Plan, together with others in God’s Church, then we are being God’s Team (Christ’s Body). We will succeed. That’s because God will always empower us through God’s Spirit to do our part of God’s Plan.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So on October 2 the wall was finished--just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God. (Nehemiah 6:15-16 NLT)</font></p><p>When we see success, the temptation is to let excitement turn into pride. We can find ourselves wanting to recreate the “high” that comes from being a winning team. We can get distracted by the details, even positive details, and forget the reason we were empowered in the first place.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.
(Luke 10:20 NLT)</font></p><p>We are empowered by God to help one another walk together with God.<br>
</p><p>How about you? Have you been a part of a God-led building project that succeeded? What was it like? What was your part? Did you celebrate what God had done and thank God for letting you be a part of God’s Plan?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-55557227490920055582017-12-07T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-07T05:00:00.533-06:00Keep ourselves pure and holy<p><font color="#9bbb59">Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained--though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them: "I am engaged in a great work, so I can't come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?" (Nehemiah 6:1-3 NLT)</font><p>Nehemiah was working with Israelites to build a physical wall around the city of Jerusalem. We work together with God’s Church to build our cities back up into people who are walking together with God. While we are doing this word, we can never forget the bigger picture. We can never forget the real goal.<p><font color="#9bbb59">and this is what it said: "There is a rumor among the surrounding nations, and Geshem tells me it is true, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that is why you are building the wall. According to his reports, you plan to be their king. He also reports that you have appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim about you, 'Look! There is a king in Judah!' "You can be very sure that this report will get back to the king, so I suggest that you come and talk it over with me." <br>
(Nehemiah 6:6-7 NLT)</font></p><p>There will be people, like Sanballat, who are not walking together with God. They have been deceived and taken captive by the enemy to do the enemy’s will. While that person is not our enemy, that person can still do damage to God’s work through us. That’s why we need to make sure we stay close to God.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Later I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said, "Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Your enemies are coming to kill you tonight."
(Nehemiah 6:10 NLT)</font></p><p>There will be false prophets, like Shemaiah, who will use God’s Name and God’s Word to try to convince us to do things that are simply not of God. God promises to help us recognize them by their “fruit.” Their lack of love for God and one another will become apparent. They will try to influence us to do things that we know are not walking together with God.<br>
</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. They were hoping to intimidate me and make me sin. Then they would be able to accuse and discredit me.
(Nehemiah 6:12-13 NLT)</font></p><p>When we walk together with God, we can help others do the same. When we stray from God’s path, we help others stray as well. We cannot build a city who walks together with God unless we start with ourselves. We need to keep ourselves pure and holy.</p><p>How about you? Do you walk together with God? Have you encountered people who try to knock you off the path by lying about you? Have you encountered people who try to knock you off the path by lying to you, even in the name of God? How do you respond? Do you keep yourself pure and holy?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-8507041948936290692017-12-06T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-06T05:00:12.211-06:00What we need to succeed<p>The Israelites in Nehemiah’s day had learned how to successfully fend off their enemies so they could continue rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. They were saying, "We have such large families. We need more food to survive." Others said, "We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine." And others said, "We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes.
(Nehemiah 5:1-4 NLT)</font></p><p>It’s one thing to struggle against enemies that are “out there.” It’s another thing completely to fight enemies when they are our own brothers and sisters in Christ. What do we do when the person causing the trouble is sitting in the seat next to you at church services?</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others." When I heard their complaints, I was very angry.
(Nehemiah 5:5-6 NLT)</font></p><p>Anger is a natural first reaction, but anger does not produce the “Garden Walk” life that God desires for us. We need to take a moment to back up, take a look at what’s happening, and ask God for the solution. Often times, the solution is right in front of our face. We just need to ask God’s help to see it.<br>
</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, "You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!" Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. At the meeting I said to them, "We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?" And they had nothing to say in their defense. Then I pressed further, "What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. (Nehemiah 5:7-10 NLT)</font></p><p>You see, God really does call us to be different in God’s Church. The Church isn’t given enough resources to feed the whole world, but it certainly can make sure no one in the Church goes hungry. It doesn’t have the political pull to redistribute all the wealth of an entire country, but it does have the ability to make sure there is no one in dire need within the Body. God’s Church becomes a beacon of light to the world by first being the salt of the earth. We need to care for one another in the Body of Christ so that the world sees the benefits and blessings that come from walking together with God. When we see this, we start to see different solutions to the problems we face. We also often realize that we have been a part of the problem, too. The solution will require us to change as well.<br>
</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil." They replied, "We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say." Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised. (Nehemiah 5:11-12 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>You see, God’s economic systems throughout Scripture always give God’s followers everything they need. In fact, when we live as God says, we start to realize that we have much more than what we need. God doesn’t tell us to give each other unlimited free handouts. That works against the sense of purpose we get from working. God does teach us to set one another up for success, though. We should give one another what we need to succeed.</p><p>How about you? Are there systems, processes, or approaches in God’s Church that get in the way of God’s people living out God’s purpose for their lives? Do you contribute to or participate in the problem? Have you asked God to show you the solutions? Are you being a part of the solution? Do you set people up for success? Do you give people in God’s Church what they need to succeed?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-26630813119994237092017-12-05T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-05T08:42:35.409-06:00Fight the enemy together.<p>Nehemiah and the Israelites were working together as God’s Team to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Sanballat and the others in the surrounding area were not too happy about this rebuilding project.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves. (Nehemiah 4:8-9 NLT)</font><p>The building project just got tougher. The team, who are already working outside of their normal areas of giftedness to build this wall, now needs to protect itself from outside intruders. They need to be prepared to fight their enemy.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!" (Nehemiah 4:14 NLT)</font><p>When we are a part of a large building project like helping a city walk together with God, we will encounter enemies, too. The enemies we face, though, are not the people we encounter. They are the ones who influence people to fight one another. These enemies require a different kind of training and battle on our part.<p><font color="#9bbb59">For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. (2 Corinthians 10:3 NIV84)</font><p>As God’s Church, we are God’s Team. The enemies we fight will be God’s enemies. Those enemies, however, won’t be beaten with normal implements of war.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:11-18 NIV84)</font><p>As we rebuild our local city, we need to fight the real enemy together as God’s army. When we do, the enemy will be kept at bay and God’s building project will continue to move forward.<p><font color="#9bbb59">During this time, none of us--not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me--ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water. (Nehemiah 4:23 NLT)</font><p>How about you? Do you equip yourself to fight your real enemy, the devil? Do you fight the enemy and love God? Do you fight the enemy and love people? Do you fight the enemy together with others as God’s army?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-43274255758780777242017-12-04T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-04T08:42:30.869-06:00Working Together as God’s Team<p>Nehemiah, an Israelite, was living in captivity when God prompted him to go back to his home town of Jerusalem and rebuild the wall that protected it. Nehemiah was afraid, but asked permission from the king and God provided the way. After surveying the job in secret, Nehemiah finally rallied the remaining people of Israel to take on this massive project. They began building the wall.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel. (Nehemiah 3:1 NLT)</font><p>Chapter 3 of Nehemiah details the individuals, families, and groups that participated in this building project. Each one had their own part of the wall. Each one took their own project. That’s because large projects are nothing more than a large number of smaller projects that are connected. There were nearly fifty projects detailed in this chapter that went into the bigger project of rebuilding the wall.<p><font color="#9bbb59">People from the town of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was Zaccur son of Imri. (Nehemiah 3:2 NLT)</font><p>When we read the list of names who participated, it gets interesting. They included priests and Levites who’s primary concerns are normally focused on the Temple. They had perfumers and gold workers on the team. (Can you imagine someone from a perfume or jewelry counter at the store getting their hands beat up and dirty from building a stone wall?) This project was big enough and important enough to make it “all hands on deck.” Every person was important. Every person was needed.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV84)</font><p>The same is true for us in God’s Church today. God has a vision for the Church. God wants it to be healthy and growing and full of love (Ephesians 4:16). God has a plan for getting it there. God’s plan includes all of us. We need to have all hands on deck. We need to work together as God’s Team.<p><font color="#9bbb59">From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16 NIV84)</font><p>How about you? Are you a Christian? Do you realize that it makes you a part of Christ’s Body, which is God’s Team? Do you tear others down in the Church or do you build up God’s Team in love? Do you work together with others as God’s Team?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-18966123286971702722017-12-01T05:00:00.000-06:002017-12-01T05:00:23.226-06:00Trust God.<p>This week, we have taken some time to step back an look at the process that happens with really big building projects. Nehemiah is returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. We are thinking about what it takes to build people into God’s Temple throughout a city, county, state, or country. These projects can become quite overwhelming!</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. "What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" they asked.
(Nehemiah 2:19 NLT)</font></p><p>When following God’s Plan, we will encounter resistance. We will have enemies. We will, for a time, be stopped. Our preparation time, however, strengthens us for these eventualities. When we run into them, then, we are reminded Whose Plan we are following. This give us everything we need to move forward, trusting God.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">I replied, "The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, His servants, will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in Jerusalem."
(Nehemiah 2:20 NLT)</font><br>
</p>When God lays a burden on your heart, don’t throw it away. Pay attention to it. Get God’s Plan for resolving it. Look for the open door that God provides to move forward. Take the time to work through your doubts until you “own” God’s Plan, without any doubts. Then it will be easy to rally the team and get to work. When trouble comes, then, there will be no need to worry. You can move forward knowing that you are following God. You can trust God.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-28538943528276209872017-11-30T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-30T05:00:32.236-06:00Rally the team. Get to work.<p>Nehemiah was called by God to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. This was God’s Plan and Nehemiah had a key role in this plan. When he asked the occupying king for permission to return, God provided the way. Then, Nehemiah took the time to internalize God’s Plan and make it his own plan.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">The city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders--the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration.
(Nehemiah 2:16 NLT)</font></p><p>Once Nehemiah worked through his own process, it was time to share the plan with others. Moses went through this process before talking with the elders of Israel in Egypt. Joshua did the same. Jesus is even seen working through the same kind of process with Our Father in heaven. There is a point, though, where they finally “own” the vision that the LORD gave to them. Then, their next step is always the same. It’s time to rally the team.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">But now I said to them, "You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!"
(Nehemiah 2:17 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>It’s interesting to see how God works out this part of the process. Once God’s Plan is clearly articulated, people decide whether God is calling them to be a part of the team or not. Sometimes people argue with the messenger. Sometimes they pick a fight. Most of the time, though, they simply decide and stay or they walk away. The leaders, like Nehemiah, don’t need to work hard to convince the people God calls. They simply need to share God’s Plan. God takes care of the rest. Then, they all get to work.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, "Yes, let's rebuild the wall!" So they began the good work.
(Nehemiah 2:18 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>How about you? Have you ever heard someone share a part of God’s Plan? Did you join the team? Have you ever shared a part of God’s Plan with others? Did you see God rally the team? In either case, did you get to work?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-43754961907325148042017-11-29T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-29T05:00:55.610-06:00Make God’s Plan, my plan.<p>Nehemiah has been given a God-driven plan to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. He was terrified to bring it up, but, driven by God, he did ask king Artaxerxes for permission to go back and rebuild the walls of the city. The king said yes, so he returned.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king's letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel.
(Nehemiah 2:9-10 NLT)</font></p><p>When we start to see God’s Plan to reach people, it can be overwhelming. It doesn’t take long before we start considering all the pitfalls and shortcomings of the plan. We also start seeing the sheer magnitude of the resistance we will be facing.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding.
(Nehemiah 2:11-12 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>When all these details start flooding our minds, it is easy to start looking for ways to escape. We can be overwhelmed by the prospect of a project far too big for us to imagine, much less implement. When that happens, it is time to turn back to God again and pray.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">After dark I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal's Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls and burned gates. Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but my donkey couldn't get through the rubble.
(Nehemiah 2:13-14 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>I’m remembering several times over the years when I walked through an dark room, sat in a car looking out over an area, or just walked around a neighborhood and prayed. God used those times to let me do what Moses did. I gave God all my objections to His Plan, and then listened to God’s answers and further direction in prayer.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
(James 1:5 NIV)</font><br>
</p><p>Nehemiah seems to be doing the same thing here. He isn’t telling anyone yet, because he is working through his process. He is making God’s Plan his plan. Then, and only then, will he be ready to move forward with the next step.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So, though it was still dark, I went up the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and entered again at the Valley Gate.
(Nehemiah 2:15 NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>How about you? When you see God’s Plans, do you accept them right away? Or, do you go through a process of “discussion” with God before moving forward? Do you do whatever it takes to make God’s Plan into your plan?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-47830412546731753342017-11-28T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-28T05:00:14.126-06:00Get permission.<p>A God-driven plan to reach a city, county, state, or country is usually counter-intuitive at many levels. God’s ways are higher than our ways. That’s because God’s perspective is much better informed than ours. When we have a heart for people and turn to God, then, we will probably encounter places where we are challenged by God’s Plan.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. So the king asked me, "Why are you looking so sad? You don't look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled." Then I was terrified,
(Nehemiah 1:11b - 2:2 NLT)</font></p><p>One of the places that God has challenged me over the years has to do with a statement I used to say a lot: “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.” I would say it, tongue in cheek, so I could forge ahead with the thing I wanted to do even without the approval of God or other people. Over the years, though, God has taught me (often times the hard way) that there are two problems with this statement.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">but I replied, "Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire." The king asked, "Well, how can I help you?" With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, "If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried."
(Nehemiah 2:3-5 NLT)</font></p><p>The first thing I learned had to do with the first part of the statement. Forgiveness is not necessary unless I’ve done something wrong. Saying it another way, “Forgiveness is not needed unless I sin.” The thing is, God decides what is right and wrong. If I truly take the time to get God’s Plan (<a href="http://mygardenwalk.blogspot.com/2017/11/get-gods-plan.html" target="_blank">consider yesterday’s post</a>), then moving forward with my part of God’s Plan is not sin. It is NEVER wrong to walk together with God. It is also NEVER wrong to empower, equip, and encourage others to do the same. It may be easier to ask for forgiveness, but I shouldn’t be doing something that is wrong in the first place!<br></p>
<p><font color="#9bbb59">The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, "How long will you be gone? When will you return?" After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. I also said to the king, "If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself." And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.
(Nehemiah 2:6-8 NLT)</font></p><p>The second thing I learned really gets prioritized as the first: God is big enough to get me permission. God is able to soften and harden the hearts of people. God is able to swing the vote in what ever direction God wants. God is able to control the objects used to cast lots.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.
(Isaiah 22:22b NLT)</font><br>
</p><p>When the plan is God’s Plan and God calls me to ask for permission, God will get me permission. God will provide the way.</p><p>How about you? Do you find it easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission? Do you make sure you are following God’s Plan so there is no need for forgiveness? When God sends you, do you ask for permission? Does God provide the way?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-9686566520142992862017-11-27T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-27T08:38:19.846-06:00Get God’s Plan<p>This series has been focused on the book of Ezra thus far. Ezra was written in a time when the Israelites were in captivity. The Babylonians released them and allowed them to return to their home in Jerusalem. They also allowed them to rebuild the Temple of the LORD. We reminded ourselves that our individual bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We also remembered that we, together, are being built like living stones into a temple where God’s Spirit dwells.<p><font color="#9bbb59">These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire." (Nehemiah 1:1-3 NLT)</font><p>Now that the Temple is built, we are moving on to another building project. This one is relayed to us through the book of Nehemiah. In this project, they will rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem, making it safe for Israelites to live there again. The story begins, though, with Nehemiah learning that the city is in ruins. It has been completely destroyed.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4 NLT)</font><p>When we realize that our city, county, state, region, or country is in spiritual ruins, it is a good thing to mourn over its loss. Organized people groups can have much greater influence than a single individual. When that group walks with God, the influence is used to help others walk with God. When that group does not, well, you get the picture.<p>The city where I live now, Valparaiso, IN, touts about 33,000 people. The county has around 168,000. All the studies tell me that about 1/3 of those people have a somewhat strong faith and consistent walk with God. The other 2/3 do not. This is enough to cause me to pause and mourn.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Then I said, "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of unfailing love with those who love Him and obey His commands, listen to my prayer!
(Nehemiah 1:5-6a NLT)</font></p><p>Nehemiah did exactly what I did. He dropped to his knees before the LORD in prayer. That’s because a city, county, state, our country level plan cannot be something we come up with on our own. A plan to reach that many people must come from the LORD. Humbling ourselves in prayer puts us in a place where we can hear it. Its a place where we can get God’s Plan.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Look down and see me praying night and day for Your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against You. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that You gave us through Your servant Moses. "Please remember what You told Your servant Moses: 'If you are unfaithful to Me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to Me and obey My commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for My name to be honored.'
(Nehemiah 1:6-9b NLT)</font></p><p>How about you? Do you have a heart for a broken city? Do you turn to God in prayer? Do you get God’s Plan?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-83579881512230178072017-11-22T05:00:00.001-06:002017-11-22T05:00:18.114-06:00by walking in His ways.<p><font color="#9bbb59">I appointed twelve leaders of the priests--Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten other priests--to be in charge of transporting the silver, the gold, the gold bowls, and the other items that the king, his council, his officials, and all the people of Israel had presented for the Temple of God.
(Ezra 8:24-25 NLT)</font></p><p>God provides (numerical) growth to those who worship Him. That makes sense when you think about it for a moment. God wants us to walk with Him. God empowers and equips us with everything we need to do just that.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">I weighed the treasure as I gave it to them and found the totals to be as follows: 24 tons of silver, 7,500 pounds of silver articles, 7,500 pounds of gold, 20 gold bowls, equal in value to 1,000 gold coins, 2 fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.
(Ezra 8:26-27 NLT)</font></p><p>We don’t know that we are empowered until someone tells us, though. We don’t know that we are equipped until someone trains us to walk in His ways. We don’t know that we can walk together with God until we have situations or circumstances where we can live it out…and then do.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">And I said to these priests, "You and these treasures have been set apart as holy to the LORD. This silver and gold is a voluntary offering to the LORD, the God of our ancestors. Guard these treasures well until you present them to the leading priests, the Levites, and the leaders of Israel, who will weigh them at the storerooms of the LORD's Temple in Jerusalem." So the priests and the Levites accepted the task of transporting these treasures of silver and gold to the Temple of our God in Jerusalem.
(Ezra 8:28-30 NLT)</font></p><p>We go through tests and trials in this life. These are the moments when we decide to trust God or not. We decide whether we will turn to God or not. We decide to walk with God or not. When we do trust, turn to, and walk with God, we see the benefits and blessings that God gives us at the end of the trial. We see the faithfulness of God through it all.<br>
</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">We broke camp at the Ahava Canal on April 19 and started off to Jerusalem. And the gracious hand of our God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way.
(Ezra 8:31 NLT)</font></p><p>Only then do we know for sure that we are empowered and equipped. Only then do we know that we will walk with God in those circumstances. Only then do we have something to share with others. God allows us to empower and equip one more only after we walk together with God.<br>
</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So we arrived safely in Jerusalem, where we rested for three days. On the fourth day after our arrival, the silver, gold, and other valuables were weighed at the Temple of our God and entrusted to Meremoth son of Uriah the priest and to Eleazar son of Phinehas, along with Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui--both of whom were Levites. Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the total weight was officially recorded.
(Ezra 8:32-34 NLT)</font></p><p>How about you? Do you walk together with God? Do you see God working though you to empower one more?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-20783923989018964402017-11-21T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-21T05:00:18.823-06:00to those who worship Him…<p>The remnant of Israel wanted to return to Jerusalem to begin worshipping God again a the newly-built Temple. This group (about 2,000 men plus their families) will eventually survive and grow into the group who exist in the days of Jesus – about 500 years later. How did they return, survive, and grow? It was through the power of God.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that He would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled.
(Ezra 8:21 NLT)</font></p><p>They went to the LORD and asked God for provision. They went to the LORD and asked God for protection. They went to the LORD and asked God to grow their people, Israel, into another nation. The LORD God said, “Yes.”</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, "Our God's hand of protection is on all who worship Him, but His fierce anger rages against those who abandon Him."
(Ezra 8:22 NLT)</font></p><p>It’s interesting to see that sometimes they are held accountable by their own words. They said that God protects those who worship Him. Then, they needed to act on that faith. They had seen God’s Word come true many times in the past – both the good and the bad promises. Now it was time to put their actions where their words were. And, when they did, God provided.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and He heard our prayer.
(Ezra 8:23 NLT)</font></p><p>God wants to grow His Kingdom. God wants more people who will walk with Him. God wants all of us to experience the benefits and blessings that come from walking with Him. When we trust these things and worship Him, God provides the growth.</p><p>How about you? Do you believe that God wants to grow His Kingdom? Do you think God likes it when people walk with Him? Do you know that God gives benefits and blessings to those who walk with Him? Do you worship the LORD, trusting God to provide the growth?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-73982931301783205792017-11-20T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-20T19:57:31.557-06:00God provides growth…<p><font color="#9bbb59">Here is a list of the family leaders and the genealogies of those who came with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
(Ezra 8:1 NLT)</font></p><p>We’ve been looking at how God provided a way for the Israelites to return from captivity, rebuild the Temple of the LORD, and begin to worship again. At the same time, we’ve been reminding ourselves that Temple worship looks different for us today. Individually, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit now. Together, we are being built together as living stones into the Temple of the Holy Spirit.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">I assembled the exiles at the Ahava Canal, and we camped there for three days while I went over the lists of the people and the priests who had arrived. I found that not one Levite had volunteered to come along.
(Ezra 8:15 NLT)</font></p><p>We don’t need to assemble priests anymore from the tribe of Levi, descended from Aaron. This is because animal sacrifices have stopped, since Jesus is the final sacrifice – a pure spotless lamb. We, now, are priests who help people come near to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders of the people. I also sent for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of discernment. I sent them to Iddo, the leader of the Levites at Casiphia, to ask him and his relatives and the Temple servants to send us ministers for the Temple of God at Jerusalem.
(Ezra 8:16-17 NLT)</font></p><p>It’s natural to ask the question, then, how do we do that? How do we help others come near to God? How do we introduce them to Jesus? How do we help God’s Church grow? The answer is deceptively simple: God causes the growth.<br>
</p><p><font color="#9bbb59">Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they sent us a man named Sherebiah, along with eighteen of his sons and brothers. He was a very astute man and a descendant of Mahli, who was a descendant of Levi son of Israel. They also sent Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and twenty of his sons and brothers, and 220 Temple servants. The Temple servants were assistants to the Levites--a group of Temple workers first instituted by King David and his officials. They were all listed by name.
(Ezra 8:18-20 NLT)</font></p><p>How about you? Do you see your body as a Temple of the Holy Spirit? Do you see yourself being built up, together with the rest of God’s Church, into a Temple of the Holy Spirit? Do you want God’s Church to grow? Do you want to learn how God causes growth?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-35838539974154601882017-11-17T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-17T05:00:00.447-06:00I worship when...<span style="color: #9bbb59;">He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, and he arrived at Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. <em>This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the LORD and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.</em> (Ezra 7:9-10 NLT)</span><br />
Notice the order of things in this passage. It says that the gracious hand of God was on Ezra. Then it tells us why. Read the italicized sentence above again. Ezra studied the Law of the LORD. Ezra obeyed the Law of the LORD. Ezra taught others to follow the Law of the LORD.<br />
<span style="color: #9bbb59;">Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and look, there's a log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:3-5 HCSB)</span><br />
When we worship, we don’t try to fix people, outdo people, or show them up. When we worship, we draw near to God. We walk with God. Then, when we see what a beautiful walk it is, we help others do the same. This is what leadership looks like in God’s Church. This is worship.<br />
<span style="color: #9bbb59;">So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV)</span><br />
How about you? Do you walk with God? Is the gracious hand of the LORD upon you as a result? Do you experience the benefits and blessings that come from walking together with God? Do you help others do the same? Do you worship?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280655111573062109.post-15911243561421790652017-11-16T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-16T05:00:31.119-06:00I worship with others…<p><font color="#9bbb59">Some of the people of Israel, as well as some of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants, traveled up to Jerusalem with him in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes' reign. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in August of that year. (Ezra 7:7-8 NLT)</font><p>There really is strength in numbers. In the days of Ezra, the people who returned to Jerusalem were the remnant (remaining people) of Israel. They were returning, “hat in hand” so to speak, with humility before the LORD. After years of defiance, they were ready to return, ask for forgiveness, and worship. This made their sacrifices acceptable to God in their day.<p><font color="#9bbb59">As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV)</font><p>When we come to God in humility and receive forgiveness through Jesus, we are ready to worship as well. Worship takes place when we allow God to build us up <em>together</em> as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. Our worship is strengthened and God’s Glory is magnified with every person we are connected to in worship.<p><font color="#9bbb59">Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV84)</font></p><p>How about you? Do you worship with others?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00483504014213941146noreply@blogger.com0