Corona Devo 1122

Do you have a difficult job?

My neighbor drives a truck across the country.  That's a difficult job.  

My cousin is a police officer.  That's a difficult job.  

Managers of a team/staff, motivators of a team, trying-to-maintain a team...That's a difficult job.

Trying to tell people who have lost-their-connection to Christ (or never even had one) about the Bible and that we should obey it and honor God?  THAT'S a difficult job.

~~~

Read the news.  Scroll through your feed.  Catch the headlines.  Everything seems wrong, and for many different reasons.  But we can really boil it all down to one reason: Too much "us" and not enough Jesus.  

We have not kept ourselves separate from sin and from those who don't know/care about God...and so we have taken up detestable practices in our lives and our culture.  Our spirits have become polluted and impure in relation to the Lord and the ways that He intended for us to live.

It's overwhelming to realize where our society is today.  Crushing at times.  

It's also not the first time that we've been here as a people.  Ezra saw the people of his day in the same polluted, self-serving, fleshly-focused situations that we are surrounded by today.  What can we do?  Where do we go from here?

First, we must be honest about where we are as a people.  That's a difficult job.

When these things had been done, the Jewish leaders came to me and said, “Many of the people of Israel, and even some of the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the other peoples living in the land. They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.  ~Ezra 9:1

Heavenly Father, please forgive us and have mercy on us today.  You and Your ways are Holy, and we are called to live like You, but we have not kept ourselves separate and we have taken up the detestable practices of those that don't know You.  We have flirted with sin, we have had spoken/visual/mental/and physical affairs with sin.  We (as a people) have been unfaithful to You.  Forgive us today, Lord.  We come before You in the shame of our sin, which is a difficult job.  We, (like Ezra) are humbled before You.

When I heard this, I tore my cloak and my shirt, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked. (4) Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me because of this outrage committed by the returned exiles. And I sat there utterly appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice.  

(5) At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord my God. (6) I prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.  ~Ezra 9:3-7

Humbling ourselves before God...admitting our sins before God, OWNING the responsibilities of our choices as individuals/a society/as a Nation before God...that's a difficult job.

But in His mercy...God has mercy on us.  On those that will come back to Him...that will cling to Him...that will stand for Him (the remnant)...God has mercy.  That's a difficult job.

“But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery. (9) For we were slaves, but in his unfailing love our God did not abandon us in our slavery.  ~Ezra 9:8-9

Be revived, Brothers and Sisters!  May the Bible brighten our eyes as we seek to follow God, even though we have sinned.  Even though our world is fallen.  God offers mercy on those willing to do an about-face to turn back towards Him.  

Have we sinned?  Yes.  But will we (like Ezra) accept the (difficult) job of telling others to come-back-to-God?  If we do...some that hear the word of the Lord will be affected by it...and will be changed by it.  

While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and lying face down on the ground in front of the Temple of God, a very large crowd of people from Israel—men, women, and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him. (2) Then Shecaniah... said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God... But in spite of this there is hope for Israel. (3) Let us now make a covenant with our God...  We will follow the advice given by you and by the others who respect the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law of God. (4) Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.”  

(5) So Ezra stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests and the Levites and all the people of Israel swear that they would do as Shecaniah had said. And they all swore a solemn oath.  ~Ezra 10:1-5

~~~

Do we have a difficult job?  We do.

Our world is messed up.  Our values are messed up.  Our morals are messed up.  Our truths have become relative and flexible and customizable.  Anything goes and everyone is right.  

Too much "us" and not enough Jesus.  

Trying to tell people about the Bible and that we should obey it and honor God?  THAT'S a difficult job, but if we know God, then we are called to share God.  So, get up(rise up!), for it is our duty today.

Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.”  ~Ezra 10:4

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com