Appeal to the pocket….wallet…

 Appeal to the pocket….(wallet)….

Some would say the world is run by money...hence we don’t need God who really runs it, who actually gives us our every breath….

The use of money to bribe, contort, change minds has been going on for eons …here in Ezra, some wanted to stop the Israelites from building by saying telling the rulers that they would lose tax revenues if the Israelites continued…grasping at straws, anything to defeat God’s chosen…

 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer. Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king,

Ezra.4.13-14

Over time, the Jewish people have prospered in various places with others jealous of their prosperity and have tried to annihilate them…or like Paul, the merchants were more concerned with their economy than with right or wrong…or bringing the same idea to present times…what do we do in the name of economics on moral issues?  Plenty…

 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1Tim.6.10

 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,“Never will I leave you;never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.What can mere mortals do to me?”

Heb.13.5-6

 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

Acts.16.16-21

 “But where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding? 

It cannot be bought for gold,and silver cannot be weighed as its price. 

Gold and glass cannot equal it,nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

Job.28.12,Job.28.15,Job.28.17

 “If I have made gold my trustor called fine gold my confidence, if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had found much,

Job.31:24-25

 Take my instruction instead of silver,and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels,and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Prov.8.10-11

Thank YOU….

Silver and gold…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYro45kIRlw&list=RDFYro45kIRlw&start_radio=1

Comparisons 2

 

Comparison 2…

When I was growing up, my mother, a wonderful seamstress, sewed most of my clothing. We were on limited budgets, so sewing at that time was a way to get the most “bang for your buck”…most of my friends had store bought clothing. One year I’m asked if I could have store bought clothing as I was comparing our wardrobes. So with the budgeted amount for either fabric or store bought, we went shopping…I chose store bought…consequently I came home with a lot less.   Lesson learned…don’t compare , be content and appreciate the clothes that my mom had fashioned in love…(she even sewed my prom dresses, which were works of art)…

Other times in life I had to relearn the same lessons, don’t compare, as comparing always brought discontent, lack of joy… 

Once I had a friend who always compared other’s wealth to her’s…she was always unhappy because she felt she came up short and others had more…not admitting to lack of contentment with gifts she had…wealth was to be envied…

David counted his troops which caused a great deal of pain for himself and  others…he fell on God’s mercy for forgiveness…which we all can do when we have sinned…

Thank YOU….

 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.” 

But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” 

The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah. 

But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel. 

Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” 

The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’” 

So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” 

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 

So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. 

But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 

David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. 

David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”

1Chr.1-17

 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.

2Cor.10.12-13

 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Exod.20.17

Turn your eyes upon Jesus…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5X85txs60yY&pp=ygUgdHVybiB5b3VyIGV5ZXMgdXBvbiBqZXN1cyBseXJpY3M%3D 

Comparisons

 Comparisons…

as a junior-higher, I was always comparing myself to others and, in my opinion, came up lacking…I was taller, more stout, bad hair, ugly, clothes weren’t the same, etc, etc, etc…it continued into high school with even more comparisons...comparisons lead to discouraging thoughts, discouraging attitudes and downheartedness…we can never be like someone else…we can never be as good as someone else and on down the line…

 

The point is that we aren’t someone else…we are exactly the person God made us…our hair, body shape, eyes, etc were formed specifically to His direction…

 “For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful,I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from youwhen I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 

Your eyes saw my unformed body;all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Ps.139.13-16

 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.

2Cor.10.12-13

 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Exod.20.17

As I read Ezra 3, there were those, the older ones, who were discouraged because the new Temple wasn’t like the old, not as opulent, not as big, not as—-, etc and they wept aloud… while others were joyful to be building the temple for worship again after exile, after returning to their land….

(An aside, we older ones have to watch our attitudes so much, “ the phases” “we didn’t do it like that” , “tradition dictates”, “that’s not the way we did it”, I think you get the drift…)

“Our world is always changing, and once-significant accomplishments decay and disappear.Seek to serve God wholeheartedly. Then you won’t need to compare your work with anyone else’s .” Bible Study notes…

Be encouraged that God knows exactly what he is doing…it may not be the same, but He is the same yesterday, to day and tomorrow…

Thank YOU…

Psalm 139…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgvIssCKkV4&list=RDAgvIssCKkV4&start_radio=1

Bonvoyage…

 

 Bon voyage….

You used to hear of Bon Voyage parities more frequently…a party the sends someone on their way, either to a New house or a long awaited trip…with gifts…old movies included champagne with steamers and confetti, thrown by well wishers toward the departing people…

Fun was had by all…

When the Israelites left Egypt with much “plunder”…which in turn was used to build the tabernacle in the desert…

“And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.

Exod.3.21-22

Another pilgrimage was the Israelites leaving Babylon to return  to their promised land…they didn’t plunder the citizens of Babylon…the citizens gave freely…the king even gave freely, items which had been taken earlier…

 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’” 

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings. When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.

Ezra.1.2-6Ezra.2.68-69

 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 

In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra.1.7,Ezra.1.8,Ezra.1.1

These people were excited and ready to journey an arduous trip back to their homes…homeland…to rebuild the temple, their lives….

Journeys aren’t necessarily easy…going back can be difficult…times aren’t the same, people are not the same…but, if directed by God,,we know that He is with us all the time…through the deserts of time and place…

Thank YOU….

He will restore…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWOitGWciPg&list=RDjWOitGWciPg&start_radio=1

Moving…

 Moving…

My “parents in law” started their married life in a converted chicken house in 1934…it became a three bedroom home over their married life, three bedrooms and one small bathroom for four active boys and two adults…heated by a wood stove that nearly ran you out from too much heat…and it was only 1/2 mile from where my father in law was raised…it has been torn down  now 

and is just a memory for the two remaining sons…and families…

The Israelites went to Babylon for about the same amount of years as my husband’s home..they married, they had children, they raised crops, they lived life…just as they were told…a generation plus a few years…

My parents in law never moved away from their original home, until my mother in law moved into rest home near the end of her life…

The Israelites moved to Babylon in captivity, but some had the privilege to return to their land after a prescribed period of time… to rebuild the temple, the walls of Jerusalem…which had been destroyed…under Ezra and Nehemiah…

The temple first…the heart of their worship…rebuilding stone upon stone…

 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 

And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’” Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. 

All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Ezra.1.2-6

“When the people returned to the land, they were returning to the influence of God’s Word…the prophets Haggai and Zechariah helped encourage them while Ezra’s preaching the Scripture built them up..God’s Word gave them what they needed to do God’s work.”

Bible Study  notes

Isn’t that what we need in our daily lives? God’s word is  our spiritual sustenance, our daily “bread”…what we need to build up one another , admonish, live by..encourage, root out sin..learn from..be transformed by, renewed…etc…

Thank YOU….

Listen to Word of the Lord…

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+word+of+god

Rose colored glasses…

 Rose colored glasses…

There are amazingly wonderful passages in the Word and well as some horrific bad times predicted for end times…distressing times…it can’t be faced with rose colored glasses, covered with flowery speech…times will get bad….we haven’t over the centuries of time gotten better, sin has still remained sin, there is evil as well as good…

I am thankful we have a Savior to whom we can run to…He gives hope to the hopeless…I talk to people all the time whose lives are in struggles which they face…the light seems dim and dreary…but who still cling to the promises of God…it is rough, it is distressful…

“Yet the great suffering is tempered by a great promise of hope for true believers.” Bible Study notes…

 Guide me in your truth and teach me,for you are God my Savior,and my hope is in you all day long. 

Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,for they are from of old. 

Ps.25.5-6

 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. 

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Rom.5.1-5

Thank YOU…

 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Dan.12.1-3

 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.” These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: “This is what the Lord says:“‘Cries of fear are heard—terror, not peace. Ask and see:Can a man bear children?Then why do I see every strong manwith his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,every face turned deathly pale? How awful that day will be!No other will be like it.It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,but he will be saved out of it.

Jer.30.1-7

 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

Matt.24.21

 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.

Luke.21.23

My life is built…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GswGE6rQhmE&list=RDGswGE6rQhmE&start_radio=1

Thank You for today….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea-djxn6QnA&list=RDea-djxn6QnA&start_radio=1

Keep me in the moment…

 

Keep me in the moment….

Keep me in the moment…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhnJXDGfPiE&list=RDjhnJXDGfPiE&start_radio=1

I heard this song early this morning…before reading Daniel 10…..he about to receive a message about the future…

 “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. 

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 

Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.” 

Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.””

Dan.10.2-3,Dan.10.12,Dan.10.16-19

I thought of Nehemiah as well…and his petition…

 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 

Then I said:“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. 

I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.

Neh.1.4-16

Both were in anguish over their prayers, and God answered in amazing ways…

“God can bring us healing when we are hurt, peace when we are troubled, and strength when we are weak…Trust God to minister to you as he did for Daniel.” Bible study notes…

God was there for these men in a time of need and anguish…as he is for us in ours..it may not be the same or look the same, but HE knows our needs…cares and provides…

Thank YOU….