Two lessons from Ezra:
- A person's willingness to know and practice God's Word will have a direct effect on how God uses his / her life.
- The starting place for serving God is a personal commitment to serve him today, even before knowing what that service will be.
Once the city walls had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, Ezra instituted a religious reformation in which the ancient Torah (the Law which would be the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) was made the norm for Jewish life. He also demanded that Jews who had married foreigners must divorce them to maintain the Jewish purity the Torah required. Ezra set an example of piety and dedication through prayer and fasting, and this placed his reforming zeal in proper spiritual perspective. He set the pattern for life in the postexilic Jewish commonwealth, making God's Word and worship central features. The date and place of his death are unknown.
Ezra's story is told in Ezra 7:1-10:16 and in Nehemiah 8:1-12:36
During the week begin Session 8 - Just Say Yes!
- include prayer requests in your daily prayers
- before each day's Scripture reading invite the Holy Spirit to lead you and reveal the Truths in a deeper way
- read Isaiah 6 in one sitting
- complete pages 104-109 in your participants book - Recall tonight how we first read Step 1 - we did nothing other than read each Scripture and underline the word or words that spoke to you. Step 2 we take those exact words and rewrite them. Step 3 we focus on the meaning of the Scripture and Step 4 we ask ourselves a question on what this means to us. I know that some are still getting the hang of it and I'm thrilled at the discussion we are having on Monday nights. Keep up the great work!!!
- read the chapter Just Say Yes in your book
- listen for His voice - He's speaking to YOU
- be prepared to discuss in our group setting
- have a blessed week - touch the lives of others as Jesus would