The Simple Life

And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome,   and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”  Nehemiah 4:14   Do not be afraid. Why? Remember the Lord. This seems like something simple, yet we make it so difficult. When David faced Goliath, he could not focus on Goliath's size and strength, or his ability with the slingshot. The trained army was acting untrained, and the current king was a coward.    David moved ahead with great boldness, and God won the victory through him. Anytime the problem eclipses God’s love, power, and provision, we will be hopeless. For now, the choice is ours.  https://www.podbean.com/relate365

In Judah it was said, "The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall." And our enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work." At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, "You must return to us." So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes." Nehemiah  4:10-14  (ESV)   God's work is always opposed. The work in and of itself can be difficult, and the enemy, Satan, will do all he can to make it impossi...

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision." And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. Nehemiah  2:17-18  (ESV)   Successful leaders say "Let us" not "You should." Effective leaders lead by doing, not just by talking. They make disciples through lifestyle and reinforce the concept with words.   Nehemiah owned this project. He put his reputation, time, and money on the line to see this happen. He gave up a lifestyle that was rather plush to be put in a position where he would be misunderstood, sweaty, and eventually attacked by the leaders around him. He did not shy away from hard work or expect anything out of anyone that he did not first expect of himself.   Today, we often see leaders attempting to influence people by words, ad campaig...

And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it." And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), "How long will you be gone, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy." And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. Nehemiah 2:5-8 (ESV)   Real leaders have a plan when they pray, and the plan is always bigger than their own capabilities. https:/...

And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart." Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah 2:2-4 (ESV)   Nehemiah did not need to work at solving this problem. He had a great and secure job, and a lifestyle many would enjoy. He could have ignored all the issues outside the palace, focused on enjoying the tasks he had to do, and even justified his myopic focus.   Yet real leaders get bothered by real problems, and feel the pain and suffering of those in pain and suffering. Real leaders take time to think about and understand the "whys" of life, and then work at making the proper adjustments. That is what makes the...

We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' Nehemiah 1:7-9 (ESV)   Leaders confess the sins of the people they lead and know God and His ways. Nehemiah was bothered by sin. He then took action against it by acknowledging and confessing it and claiming God's promise.   Bothered, confession, and repentance seem to be the outline for success. If you are not bothered, you need to ask yourself why. If you do not confess, you do not understand the importance of owning the problem. If you do not repent, you were never really bothered...

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4 (ESV)   Real leaders are bothered by evil even if it does not directly affect them. Eventually, evil, like a bad virus, can and will infect many and could even reach epidemic proportions. Leaders understand this evil power and see the devastation it will bring upon all its victims.   Evil, like germs, can sneak up on those who are not aware of its presence. Those who are aware of and ignore it usually "catch the bug" and must deal with its captivating effects. Those who are aware of it should change their lifestyle and behavior to give it less chance of infection.   Evil, like germs, needs an entry point; if you do not give it one, it cannot take control. People who ignore its presence and purpose choose to become subject to its power. Like a virus, when evil takes over, all our attention and energy goes to defeating it, and t...

While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. Ezra 10:1 (ESV)   Good leaders are genuinely bothered by sin. They are not bothered by people. They are bothered by sin, for they love people. If love drives sorrow, then hope can follow. Certainly, anger seems to be a byproduct of righteous sorrow, but anger should be directed at the evil and what the evil is doing rather than at the evil person. I would think that anger at the Evil One is also part of the process, and all this anger that eventually plays itself out in Godly sorrow is the key to true repentance.   Regardless of how you demonstrate it, genuine sorrow for sin is the first necessary step in recovery. Those who justify sin are never sorry for their sin, and therefore, can never repent from them and enjoy the freedom Christ is offering.   If you never se...

And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape. Ezra  9:13-14  (ESV)   I have been punished far less than I deserve. I have enjoyed far more privilege than I have earned. Why should I ever ignore the One who has given me far more blessings and less punishment than I deserve?   Entitled people tend to focus on a false idea of what they deserve and seem to forget the things for which they should be punished. Entitlement is a problem because it is always self-justified and constantly reinforced by our associations in life.   Entitled people are not servants, and therefore, cannot be Christ-followers. They re...

“But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.” Ezra 9:8-9 (ESV)   For now, God works in moments for the sake of the eternal. He gives us opportunities to live as we were meant to live; however, there is a time when our opportunities will be over.   This earthly life is but a brief moment in history, as all will be physically dead much longer than they are alive. Having opportunities to show, by how we live, that God lives and loves and has a plan is one of life's most precious blessings. For now, I enjoy that privilege. https://www.podbean...

As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today.” Ezra 9:3-7 (ESV)   The first step in healing our nation is for our leaders to recognize the problem. The second ste...

After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost." As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Ezra 9:1-3 (ESV)   Where is the "appall" today? Why is it that the mixing of truth and error is so ordinary? The mixing of right and wrong is like trying to mix iron and clay. We can put forth tremendous efforts to accomplish something that, ultimately, cannot be achieved. Perhaps...

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, "The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. Ezra  8:21-23  (ESV)   Humbling oneself before God is wise and natural for those who know Him. Those who do not know Him struggle with humility.   It is one thing to speak of God's faithfulness. It is quite another thing to place oneself where God is faithful or where you and your plans are destroyed. There are many leaders in the Bible who have positioned themselves in a way that clearly demonstrates God—those such as David (when facing Goliath), Elijah on Mt. Car...

Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. Ezra 7:27-28 (ESV)   God's blessing matters. When His hand is on you, no other hand matters. The "powers that be" may seem difficult to work with and may try to hinder God's work. Yet, as we have seen repeatedly, God sharpens our vision when the enemy tries to blur our focus.   Hard times have never really hindered the work of God or His people, for His ways are more clearly defined in them. Faith is not evidenced in sight. Courage can never be seen in comfort. Character cannot be demonstrated during the easy times, and God is often forgotten when times are good. https://www.po...

"And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment." Ezra 7:25-26 (ESV)   Those who obey God get many opportunities to live life the way it was intended to be lived. Eventually, all authority will acknowledge one authority, and when they do, they will finally be able to be responsible with their authority.   Ezra was granted a great privilege in life—teaching people the ways of God. Not only was he given this privilege, but he was also given the authority of those in authority. Often, those in authority in life are hard to deal with. It is wonderful to see, at least now, at this t...

…this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. Ezra 7:6 (ESV Strong's)   Ezra was skilled in the law. One can be skilled in many areas, but few are considered skilled in the Law. It may be hard to recognize those skilled in the Law because it is not something we usually consider a skill.   Yet some seem "more capable" of understanding and explaining God's Word. Those in that category should be freed to study and explain God's Word to others. Just as we free up plumbers, carpenters, electricians, and tech support people, we should free up the skilled at teaching to teach and counsel.   It may be unheard of to pay one who counsels using the Word of God the same as we would pay a union electrician, but one must ask, "Why the difference? Is one more skilled than the other or more valued than the othe...

At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?" They also asked them this: "What are the names of the men who are building this building?" But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. Ezra 5:3-5 (ESV)   Having God's eye on you is far more valuable than having a solid armed force. Throughout history, God has often frustrated the strong by blessing the meek.   Absolute power and authority belong to God alone. We must act by this truth or be continually frustrated. Those who make plans based on protecting what they think is theirs will one day realize that what they think is theirs was just that, a thought. We are stewards, not owners. https://www.podbean.com/rela...

Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. Ezra 5:1-2 (ESV)   You would think that doing the will of God would be easy. After all, it is the will of God. It is not an easy task, though. Whenever you are in the middle of God's will, you are in the middle of a fight. This is not a fight you have started or can win, yet you are in the middle.   We become good soldiers when we realize that the fight is not ours, that the enemy is subject to our Father, and we obey and trust Him to care for us. There is no other path to victory. Methods, schemes, and even prayer meetings will disappoint if trusted. Only God alone can be trusted. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here." But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us." Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. Ezra 4:1-5 (ESV)   Being unequally yoked is always problematic. A convenient partnership wi...

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. Ezra  3:10-13  (ESV)   Here we see the heart of the pe...

Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests' garments. Ezra 2:68-69 (ESV)   People gave according to their ability, giving as much as they could. Each gave differently. God does not ask us to give what we cannot give. He asks us to give what we can give.   The widow's mite was a great gift, but the rich man never gave a gift. A sacrifice that costs nothing is not a sacrifice but a show. To give because we gain is not to give. To give to feel better about us is to give to ourselves because of ourselves.   Those who give honestly give when they do so because they want to participate in what God is doing. Doing so is a joy, a privilege, and an honor. God does not need us. He wants us.   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. Ezra 1:5-6 (ESV)   Community is more purpose than presence. The people saw a need and worked together to meet that need. They gave freely or were, in a sense, joyful givers. We get into trouble when the community becomes more about presence than purpose. The community that gathers together at church should find commonality in the purpose, persecution, and provision they have been a part of throughout the week. Their purpose of bringing Christ to their worlds binds them together and provides a community like none other.   Being a part of God's work is challenging and often more costly than you’d like, but it is also more ...

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Ezra 1:1-2 (ESV)   The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. I wonder how God did this. Kings are often prideful and self-absorbed. Yet, God's message was clear, and Cyrus gave credit for the scope of his rule to Him, showing a degree of humility and understanding. Cyrus was to use his authority to show the world who God is and to build Him a house in Jerusalem. We all were created to show who God is through the assigned tasks, and when we do not do that, we malfunction. Malfunctioning people are not happy people.   Those who live malfunctioning li...