ERCC DEVOTIONAL (TEKAN) DAILY SPIRITUAL DIET; MONDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER, 2023
TEXT: EZRA 4: 1 - 5.
SPIRITUAL FOCUS: THERE ARE ENEMIES OF THE LORD'S WORK.
We have already heard how the Jews were taken captive to Babylon. The Assyrians settled some people in Jerusalem in place of the Jews. Therefore, the inhabitants of the land became mixed, and Samaria because a desolation.
When the Jews returned to rebuild Temple of their God, the mob wanted to join in the construction, but the Jews refused. They refused because, they did not want anyone who was not a Jew to participate in the construction of the Holy place of their God.
This made these people angry, and they did things that discouraged the Jews, but the Jews continued their work without getting tired. The attitude of the Jews should be a great example for us. It is ironic today that when we are invited to raise money for the construction of a place of worship, the lust for money causes us to invite any kind of person regardless of his background.
This is wrong, there is a big risk. We must not allow the love of money to blind us to what is right. Our God is Holy, so we should do all things for His glory. We know that the House of Worship is a place where we can worship Him.
Everything we need for the building, will be provided by Him in the way it pleases Him. Let us not forget that gold and silver belong to Him, and He will release them at any time He chooses, without the help of others.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Being honest in everything.
PRAYER: Lord God, I beseech in the name of Jesus, grant me victory over my enemies - Satan and his angels, Amen.
*EZRA 4:1-5 (KJV).
1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
