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Today is Tuesday June 1, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Ezra, chapters 1-2. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-june-1

Title: Bible Study: A Heart For God
It is amazing to realize that out of the billions of people in the world today, all created by God, only a small remnant of them actually have a heart for God. Many may believe in God, but very few want to leave the comforts and prosperity of life to serve Him faithfully. We all want to prosper and God wants us to as well, but there comes a time when we need to realize it's not about what we have or what part of town we live in, it's about having a heart for God. The sad part is, it is usually only when we start losing everything that we realize this. All throughout the Bible we learn this fact, but one amazing thing that we can never understand is God's patience and willingness to wait on us to come to our senses, no matter how long it takes.

The book of Ezra is the fifteenth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains ten chapters. The author of the book is Ezra the prophet and it was originally written to the Israelites. The purpose of the book was to record the Israelites return from exile seventy years later, after Jerusalem had been destroyed, to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. What we are to learn from the book is the basic principles of repentance, returning to God and restoring our relationship with Him. Ezra, the first of the post-captivity books records the return to Palestine under Zerubbabel, by decree of Cyrus, of a Jewish remnant who laid the temple foundations. The post-captivity books deal with that feeble remnant which alone had a heart for God.

After seventy years in Babylon, God is ready for His people to come forward and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. During the 70-year captivity, despite appearances to the contrary, the prophets encouraged the exiles concerning their restoration and foretold that they would rebuild Jerusalem. When Cyrus began conquering the world, he did not know that the One True God was giving him the victories, but it was God who inspired Jeremiah to predict the exact year Cyrus would conquer Babylon and release the Jews. “Now 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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” - Ezra 1:1-4. As prophesied by Jeremiah, Cyrus proclaimed to set the Jews free and send them to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, along with all the vessels that were taken out of the Temple. History has proven time and time again that every prediction from one of God's prophets, some to the very name and time, come to pass. God knows the who, what, when, where, and why of every person and every event that has, is, or about to take place.

The same God that raised up the spirit of Cyrus to proclaim liberty to the Jews, raised up their spirits to take accept the challenge to rebuild Jerusalem. An account was kept of the families that came up out of captivity

“Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;...The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.” - Ezra 2:1,64,65. Our spirits naturally bow down to this earth and the things of it, if they move upward in any good affections or good actions, it is God who raises them. The calls and offers of the gospel are like the proclamation of Cyrus. Those bound under the power of sin, may be made free by Jesus Christ. Whosoever will, by repentance and faith, return to God, Jesus Christ has opened the way for him, and raises him out of the slavery of sin into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Many that hear this joyful sound, choose to sit still and remain in Babylon, they are in love with their sins, and will not venture upon a holy life, but some break through all discouragements, whatever it cost them and seek with all their heart the Lord.

When we choose Jesus, we choose God and when we choose God above all the temptations and glorious sights of the world we have nothing to worry about. God will provide for His people, oh, we may suffer a bit more from time to time because of our beliefs, but when keep our heart and eyes on God we will be blessed for our faithfulness. God said, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” - Jeremiah 33:3. Most of the new generation of Judah had never been in Jerusalem and had no reason to leave Babylon except to rebuild the Temple in the old, ruined city of Jerusalem about 900 miles away. Only a few were willing to hazard the long and difficult four-month journey on foot, sacrifice all the social and material pleasures available under the new Persian Empire, and return with Zerubbabel to the place where they could restore true worship of God, and amazingly not one complaint recorded. God will take care of and bless all who call Him and seek Him. For three years may family and I were living in a house that was in need of much repair, the mortgage and utilities on it was so high that there was no money left over to fix it. Things got so bad that the house was under foreclosure and we had not where to go. Last October by the goodness of God we were led tot he house we are in now. It is a bigger house, one that I had only dreamed of having, cheaper payments and utilities. Although we suffered for a time, our faithfulness in serving God and not giving up on Him blessed us with something greater than we ever imagined. God is faithful and will not forsake anyone who seeks Him with all their heart.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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