ERCC DEVOTIONAL (TEKAN) DAILY SPIRITUAL DIET; FRIDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER, 2023

TEXT: EZRA 1: 1 - 11.

SPIRITUAL FOCUS: THE TOOL OF THE LORD GOD.

Whatever the Lord does, there is a time to do it. His people, the Jews, were exiled in Babylon for seventy years. In order to bring them back to their homeland, the Lord in His power used Cyrus, the king of Persia, as a tool for this purpose. 

He did so to fulfill His promise to rebuild His Temple in Jerusalem. To prove this, Cyrus gave written instructions to restore all the plundered temple materials. He called on all governors in charge of Palestine to make sure that everything went smoothly. 

That is, to help with gold, silver, animals and the gift for Thanksgiving offering (verse 4). This encouraged the priests and Levites to give and not to give up because of this great task. Brethren, be it known unto you, that the Lord hath set at naught all the spirits of men, to execute His will, whether a person knows the Lord or not, he does so because He does not discriminate. 

It is a pity that racism is so prevalent today. That is why there is no peace between one another. Disagreements in Nigeria today are rooted in religious and ethnic differences. The Lord used idol-worshiping Sarius, so He can do it today without our advice.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: God does not show discrimination.

PRAYER: Lord God, I beseech You, separate me from discrimination so that I may fulfill Your will in the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

                              EZRA 1: 1 - 11  (KJV),

1 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,

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.

7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;

8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,

10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.

11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.