– Scripture:
”Old enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building The Temple of the God of Israel. They came to Zerubbabel and the family heads and said, “We’ll help you build. We worship your God the same as you. We’ve been offering sacrifices to him since Esarhaddon king of Assyria brought us here.” Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the family heads of Israel said to them, “Nothing doing. Building The Temple of our God is not the same thing to you as to us. We alone will build for the God of Israel. We’re the ones King Cyrus of Persia commanded to do it.”“ ”So these people started beating down the morale of the people of Judah, harassing them as they built. They even hired propagandists to sap their resolve. They kept this up for about fifteen years, throughout the lifetime of Cyrus king of Persia and on into the reign of Darius King of Persia.“
Ezra 4:1-5 MSG
– Reflection:
Keep Your Vision In Front of You
I ask this knowing the answer already; with all the people in the Bible that overcame huge obstacles how did they keep their eyes on the goal in front of them? There are so many things that I have not gotten to because of fear of the unknown, just can’t seem to get out of my own way, and the one that sets me back every time expectations. I know I am close to something happening for the community I am in or myself and family personally, I can feel the tension. Now I need to take another step to make sure we don’t lose ground but continue to gain ground. There is a passage in Ezra 4 that speaks to something similar, but he had the final piece to keep him moving towards his goal. When there is nothing but what has been shown to you how do you keep moving?
– Where do we go from here?
There has to be a way for us to complete tasks, and stay motivated without seeing the finished product itself or a piece of that finished product. When we have faith it helps us move through everything, to keep a dream alive we have to have unwavering faith. Right now we are all at a place where the world is eating up all of our dreams, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is up to us to honor what GOD did for us on the Cross all those years ago. Finish what he started, some of us won’t, some of us will but all of us have to believe that it can be done. I also want to be able to say at some point “ It is finished ”. As we start our days today, remember what has been placed on your heart and work toward making that happen. There are quite a few of us out here with you that will be doing the same things.
Our Prayer for Today?
Father, thank you for keeping us each and everyday watching over us while we try to find a way through to the work you have placed in front of us. It is you who we honor each day that we wake up trying to make this world a better place than it was when we were placed in it. Lord help us to fight the spirit of procrastination, and all other pieces that keep us from moving towards our goals. With all the grace and mercy you give us each day, we are all able to say. Amen.