True Repentance Includes Making Things Right Ezra 10:2-3

Ezra 10:2-3 (New International Version)

² Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. ³ Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.

 The kings of Persia had allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and restore their practices. God was guiding them in all they were to do. He commanded them not to marry foreign people in that land. When Ezra arrived he learned they had done exactly what God commanded them not to do, they had intermarried. Ezra was appalled. he prayed to God for forgiveness and sought direction. Shecaniah suggested they make a commitment to send away all the foreign women and children to make things right with God. The people agreed to support Ezra in this. Ezra gathered everyone at the temple and issued the order to send away all of the foreigners and again follow God's commands. The people agreed they had sinned and did as Ezra commanded. They repented by changing their ways but also showed their repentance by making things right.

I love God and want to follow Him and please Him in all I do, but I still sin and fall short regularly. When I recognize my sin I repent and promise to change my ways. All too often that is as far as it goes. The sin and the results are still there. I rationalize it my thinking I can't unring the bell. I think that once it happens it's too late to change so I accept it into my life and move on. Many times I like the result of the sin and use this as an excuse to keep it around. True repentance means to turn from my ways but also to make things right with God. I need to remove the sin from my life no matter how painful or awkward it might be. This is never easy, but in doing so I honor god. The Israelites were willing to make major sacrifices to honor God and keep Him first. I need to follow that example and do the same.

Dear Lord,
You are a holy, righteous God. Your ways are perfect and right. I know that and yet I still reject them at times and go my own way. My idea of repentance is often not enough. Help me to take the extra step to make things right before You. Let me be willing to do whatever it takes to fully restore my relationship with You no matter how awkward or painful it might be. Let my repentance be complete as I stand before You to seek Your forgiveness and look to restore fellowship with You. In Jesus' name.

Keep the SON in your eyes,
Ron

Don't let anything keep me from doing what God had called me to do Ezra 4:2,4-6

Ezra 4:2 (New International Version)

² they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, "Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here."


 ⁴ Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. ^{[a] 5} They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.  ⁶ At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, ^[b] they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.


In Ezra, God called His people to rebuild the temple. They obeyed God and the work was going well when the people around them saw their success and set out to prevent them form completing their work. First, they tried to distract them by drawing them into a relationship that was unhealthy and unholy. When that didn't work they tried to discourage them by hiring people to frustrate their plans. When that didn't work they sent a letter to the king bringing false accusations against them. It was working until Haggai and Zechariah encouraged them  in the Lord (Ezra 5:1). that got them back on track with what God had called them to do.

I have experienced this same thing in my life. When I draw close to God and am living for Him, things come into my life to disrupt all the good that He is doing in me and through me. It could be people in my life or it could be circumstances, but the pattern is similar. First comes the distraction. It is usually subtle and appears harmless. In fact, it may even be disguised as helpful, but it is designed to pull my attention away from God and the work He is doing in me. If I don't fall for that right away, then the discouragement comes. People or situations are put in my life to get me to doubt what I am doing and question what God wants. It could come in the form of anger or depression but their is always more emotion attached to it than before. It gets my attention and takes more of my time and energy to work through. If that doesn't work then come the all out attack. Accusations and lies are usually par of it. This takes focus off of God because all my energy goes into defending myself and what I am doing. By this time I need outside encouragement and support but am usually too stubborn to accept it or ask. I usually end up isolating myself which makes matters worse. Once I allow others in, the healing begins and i get back on track with God. This process has happened in small ways and big, but the pattern is usually similar.

I don't believe this is just a coincidence or a self-destructive pattern, I believe there is more going on. I know the close I draw to God and live to please Him, the bigger a threat I am to Satan. I am convinced this process is a spiritual attack in response to my closer relationship with God. Satan knows how to push my buttons and he does it well. I allow it to pull my focus away from what God has for me. I need to recognize it for what it is and draw closer to God during those times instead of allowing it ot put a wedge in my relationship with Him.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for the work You do in me and through me. I thank  You for all the changes You have made in my life. As I draw closer to You, attacks come in many different forms. I pray that those attacks will not allow my focus to shift off of You. I pray that You would keep a hedge of protection around me so that I might give my undivided attention to what You have called me to. When I stray, bring people into my life who can encourage me and remind me of my true purpose in this life. Get me back on tract to live out the calling You have given me. In Jesus' name.

Keep the SON in your eyes,
Ron

Lord, help me lead a quiet life and mind my own business 1 Thessalonains 4:11-12

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (New International Version)

 ¹¹Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹²so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

 Paul spent a short time with the Thessalonians but in his letter to them he shares so much about who God is and what a life in Him means. In 1 Thes. 4:11-12 he encourages them to lead a quiet life, mind their own business, and work with their hands. His reasoning is the in living this way we will earn the respect of others and be independent.

 I agree with Paul's thinking but have a long way to go before my life can truly reflect this teaching. At times I focus too much on the approval of others and compromise my witness to win that approval. I am too quick to join in gossip and too quick to bring attention to my accomplishments. The things I say and the way I act show off my selfish sinful side and do not at all honor God. there are times I think God should take away my tongue for a season so I would have to show others by what I do and not just talk about what I've done. I need to focus more on what I can do today to please God and share Him with others and not focus on what I've done in the past. When I'm around others I need to make sure my conversations honor God and not me. I need to avoid gossip and not embrace it. gossip is harmful on many different levels. It hurts the person we are talking about. They are not even there to defend themselves. It hurts my credibility as a Christian. How can i clam to love God and talk like this about His people? By avoiding gossip and letting my actions speak for themselves, people can judge me for who I am and not compare me to the people I am so quick to talk about. I would rather earn someone's respect for who I am than how good I say I am. Hopefully they will see Christ in my actions and the way I live. In that way I can bring glory to God. By living this way I can rely on God and on others for my success and be able to give Him all the glory when I succeed, because true independence is the ability to rely completely on God alone and not others. That is the example I want to set for others.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for your provision in my life. There is nothing I need that You cannot provide. Help me to trust You and rely on You more than the people around me. Help me to live a quiet life free form gossip. Let that life be pleasing to You and an example to others. Let others see a difference in me that I can attribute to you. Let my actions speak louder than my words and let those actions testify to Your glory. Help me to rely on You alone for my success and my happiness. help me be content with what I have in You and give me opportunities to share all I am and all I have with the people you put in my path today. In Jesus' name.

Keep the SON in your eyes,
Ron

Lord don't let Your radiance fade in my life Exodus 34:33-35

Exodus 34:33-35 (New International Version)

 ³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

 Moses was spending time on Mount Sinai meeting with God. When he came down from the mountain his face was radiant and the Israelites were afraid to go near him. Once Moses was done speaking with them he put a veil over his face. When he went to meet with the Lord he would remove the veil. When he was finished he would again cover his face.

When Moses spent time with God and was in His presence something about him changed. He had a glow that was obvious to everyone who saw him. 2 Corinthians 3:13 says that Moses kept the veil over his face so the Israelites would not see the radiance fade. When Moses was with God he was radiant. When he left God's presence the radiance would begin to fade. Moses knew that was a sign God's presence was not as strong in him. He was worried the Israelites would know that as well and tried to hide that from them. I am like Moses. When I spend time with God good things happen on the inside and that shows on the outside for others to see. That change is the evidence of a changed life and evidence that God is real and working in my life. When I am not spending the time with God that I should, that evidence fades. I see it in my life and am sure the people around me do as well. The evidence is confirmation that things are going well in my relationship with God and I have fellowship with Him. The lack of it is a very obvious indicator that my relationship with God is lacking. Like Moses I try to hide it by putting on a mask. That may fool some, but people who know me well can tell. The mask does not fool them nor God. I don't want to have to hide behind a mask. I wnat to live a life in constant fellowship with God. I want a strong relationship with Him and I want it to be obvious to anyone who crosses my path. To have that I need to continually spend time with Him reading and studying Hs word and spending time with Him throughout the day. As I do, the evidence of a changed life with shine for all to see.

Dear Lord,
I thank you for the relationship I have with You. The time I spend with You takes me from the person I am closer to the person I want to be. Help me to stay close to You throughout my Day. Continually fill me with Your spirit. Let that be seen by everyone around me. As I stray Your glory fades. Use the people in my life to keep that from happening. Use my circumstances to keep me close to You. Let Your light in me be the evidence to others of a changed life. Use me in their lives to bring that same light to them as well. In Jesus' name.

Give Me a Heart To Continually Seek You Exodus 33:11

Exodus 33:11 (New International Version)

¹¹ The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

 Moses set up a tent outside camp called the Tent of Meeting. He would go there to meet with God. When he went there the Cloud that was the Lord's presence would come and stay at the entrance. God would meet Moses face to face and speak with him. Once Moses was done he would leave, but Joshua would stay in the tent even after Moses left.

Moses had a special relationship with God. He was able to meet with Him and seek His will face to face. Moses had a heart to please God. He looked for God' s direction and followed His orders. Aaron was Moses' right hand man, but when Moses was on the mountain talking to God Aaron was with the people. He followed them and was corrupted; worshiping a golden calf he told the people to make. Joshua stayed near the mountain. When Moses was done in the Tent of Meeting Joshua stayed in there. When others gave up, Joshua was faithful. When everyone else was done, Joshua continued to seek God. Joshua had a thirst for God that could not be quenched. He had a desire for the things of God that did not fade. I want to be like Joshua. I want to be the guy who is still there seeking God and worshiping Him when everyone else is gone. I want that thirst for God that can't be quenched. I want to be wherever He is wholeheartedly focused on His will and ready to do whatever He calls me to do. Joshua couldn't get enough of God and took every opportunity to stay in His presence. I hope that one day people will be able to say that of me.

Dear Lord,
You are ever present. You are available to me anytime. I find excuses to avoid You. I spend my time on things that draw me away form You. Give me the hunger for You that Joshua had. Fill me with the desire to continually seek You and Your will for my life. Let me find rest in Your presence and hunger after it more than I do now. Surround me with people who can encourage me an lead me closer to You. Use me in the same way in the lives of others. Let my time with You never be enough and my desire to seek You never fade. In Jesus' name.

Keep the SON in your eyes,
Ron

I can't succeed on my own Exodus 17:11-13

Exodus 17:11-13 (New International Version)

¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³ So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

 As the Israelites were in the desert the Amalekites came to attack. Moses sent Joshua to select men and fight the Amalekites. Moses went on top of a hill to observe the battle. As long as Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning. When he lowered his arms the Amalekites would begin to win. Aaron and Hur brought a rock for Moses to sit on. When Moses was too tired, Aaron and Hur held up his arms. With his arms up, Joshua was victorious in battle.

God called Moses to lead His people. Joshua had the necessary skills so Moses used him to lead the battle. Aaron and Hur were encouragers and advisors. They were right there with Moses in his challenges. When he could not do everything on his own, they gave him the support he needed to guarantee success. Moses was successful, but he never could have done it on his own. He had people around him with the skills and the wisdom to fill in the gaps for Moses to make him the leader he was called to be. I need to be more like Moses. God has called me into certain tasks and given me goals. I know I can't succeed on my own. God has surrounded me with people who have the skills I don't. People who can support me and lift me up when I can't do it alone. I need to let them do that for me. God has put these people in my life for a reason. I need to be open to their help, their encouragement, their support, and their wisdom. I know I can't do it all alone, now I just have to act like it and let others share the load.

Dear Lord,
I know You have laid goals and challenges before mt that I can't accomplish on my own. I know You have brought people into my life to help me succeed. I need Your help to let others shoulder my burdens with me. I struggle asking for help when I need it. I struggle accepting help when it's offered. Give me the ability to let others into my life where I am vulnerable. Help me to appreciate all the people You have brought into my life and the assistance they have to offer. As they help me to do the things I can't do on my own, let me be sure to thank them, but return to thank You as well. In Jesus' name.

Keep the SON in your eyes,
Ron

God is always there if I just look for Him Exodus 13:21-22

Exodus 13:21-22 (New International Version)

²¹ By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

 The Israelites wanted to be free from oppression. God had promised them a land of their own, one flowing with milk and honey. He brought plagues on Pharaoh and his people, finally killing the firstborn male in every household that had not obeyed God's instructions. Pharaoh realized he could not win and allowed the Israelites to leave. The Egyptians even gave them gold, silver, and clothing for their journey. When they left, God guided them with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.

The Israelites knew God existed but only knew Him through Moses. If the Israelites would have looked around they would have seen God everywhere. God was in Moses and Aaron in the words He gave them to speak. he was in each of the plagues and could easily be seen in the way He kept the plagues from the Israelites. He was in the Passover in the way He protected the firstborn of the Israelites. He was in the giving when He prompted the Egyptians to provide gold, silver, and clothing for the asking. He was visibly there when He went before them on their journey in a pillar of cloud and fire. god was everywhere they turned, they just had to open their eyes so see God among them.

There are times I long for God's presence in my life only to ignore Him everywhere I turn. God reveals Himself everyday in different ways. There are times I sense that and I see that but there are times I am so wrapped up in my own life I fail to see Him at all. There are times when I'm looking for the pillar of fire to guide my way when I need to be looking in the fringes of life. There are times when I think God is not there because I don't see Him the way I expect. I need to remember that God has promised to never leave me or forsake me. Instead of looking for God where I want Him to be, I need to see God where He is in my life. When I seek God with an open mind and heart, I'll discover He is always right there with me.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for always being there for me. It is sometimes difficult to find You in my life. I know that is because I have strayed from You. Oftentimes I seek You in the wrong areas of my life. Reveal Yourself to me and draw me where I need to be. Let me see You everywhere I turn whether You are a pillar of fire of in the fringes of life. Let me be continually drawn to You like a moth to the light. Let my focus be on You and You alone. Let me seek You and find You in every area of my life because I seek You with all my heart. In Jesus' name.

Keep the SON in your eyes,
Ron