Purposed Heart

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra 7:10 nkjv

The nation of Israel are back in the land after spending 70 years in captivity at Babylon. God had promised that they would eventually come back home once the land rested from their idolatry. It was during this span of time we get Esther, Daniel, Zecharaiah, Haggai and Ezra and others. Ezra was a scribe, a sort of lawyer of Judisim, he was highly educated. It was said of Ezra that he was a “priest” who had God-given wisdom in the Law of the God of heaven” (Ezra 7:21). He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of King Artaxerxes of Persia.

When Ezra was in Babylon, in the world, in captivity, he was busy. He wasnt busy with toys and hobbies and wasted time in vein imaginations. Ezra was purposful, intentional with the time and privledges that he had. Just like Daniel it said that he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the kings delicacies.” (Daniel 1:8) Ezra had resolved and purposed his heart to seek the Word of God. He studied it, meditated on upon it, searched it out. Like the prophet Jeremiah it says, “Your Words were found and I ate them. And Your Word was to me the joy and the rejoicing of mine heart.” Jeremiah 15:16 These mighty men were mighty because they took the Word of God seriously and made it an important part of their lives. Ezra had spent years in Gods Word and one day God was going to use him for a mighty purpose.

But it isn't enough just to read the Word of God. Reading will serve no purpose for the reader if the Word of God is not applied to their lives. Not only did Ezra know the Word, but he also practiced it. He put all that God had to say pertaining to life into real-life practical application. Without application, there is no growth. Without application, the Word of God serves no purpose for the individual. The practice of God's Word and obedience to it is what made these men mighty in the Lord. So many Christians can quote verses and draw them out like a gun. But do they practice it? We say in the church that the church has lost its effectiveness in the world. It is not that the Word is of no effect, it is that those proclaiming it are not applying it first to themselves. Not Ezra, he knew God's Law and obeyed God's Law. Jesus would later declare in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” If we profess to love the Lord then we should obey the Word of the Lord. The religious elite of Jesus day knew God's Word like Ezra but He found that their hearts were far from God. He said again in John 5:39, “You search (study) the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they (scriptures) which testify of Me.” It’s not enough to know His Word, you have to know Him and obey Him.

Ezra was a man who knew God's Word, obeyed God's Word, and desired as the verse says, “to teach” God's Word. The Lord told us in what is called the Great Commission “Therefore go and make disciples…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20) This commission is still applicable today to the church as it was. Ezra purposed in his heart that he would teach his people all that he learned from God's Word. He would show them how God blesses His children when they obey Him. With obedience comes incredible blessing, something that their ancestors failed to do and caused their captivity in Babylon all these past 70 years. Any future judgment would be stopped if they heard the Word, obeyed the Word, and taught their children the Word. God sets before us life and death as Duet. says, if we read, and obey we will find life. I pray we would all be like Ezra, like Daniel, to learn the Word, Obey the Word and Teach the Word, so that we too can find life.

Agape

Frank

Lay Down Arms

“This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers. Each of you return home, for this incident has come from me.” 2 Chronicles 11:4 

No one ever wins when brethren go to war with one another. Rehoboam stayed in Jerusalem and worked on the cities he was charged with as King to defend. He was not right in his actions by listening to his friends rather than his father's advisors. Rehoboam’s decisions are the reason the nation split in two: Judah in the south, and Israel in the north. 

Despite his lack of wisdom and bad decisions, he was still rightfully the heir to his grandfather David and the nation should not have gone into a civil war and rebelled. The Lord would use it and we see God's sovereignty in the verse. As much as Rehoboam wanted to fight, wanted to get even, wanted to have the last word, God said, “Go home.” 

There are many different divisions within the church today that have caused the world to mock Christianity. I dare say, many of the reasons people won’t step foot within the church is because they have seen the fighting within. The list of divisions is long, from doctrine to creed to worship much has divided the body of Christ. The enemy loves to divide the church, he loves to see us quarrel amongst ourselves. It renders us ineffective in the world that the enemy controls. 

Paul the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians very sternly because of the disputes they were having and the shame it was bringing: “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!” 1 Corinthians 6:1-8

Those are very strong words used in the verse above, Paul says it is a “failure” when we enter the courts of law against each other. Instead of being humble, and “accept wrong” or accept being wrong, we are fighting. Its a disgrace to the name of the Lord when we cannot settle disputes with humility and love. The Lord Jesus gave us Matthew 18 to help us deal with disputes. He wanted us to be able to handle arguments with grace, love and humility. 

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

We need more humility, grace, and love so that the name of our Lord is not slandered because of our conduct within the family of Christ. Let us consider our Lord Jesus when He was slandered, mocked, when they spoke falsley against Him:

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent
Isaiah 53:7

Let us do what the Lord said to Rehoboam, “You are not to march up and fight against your brothers. Each of you return home.” Lets lay down arms and return home in peace. Lets trust the Lord with the matters at hand and know that He is in it with us. Leave the things burdening you with Him to sort out, and He will have the victory.

Agape, 

Pastor Frank