Ezra 1 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: DON’T BE AFRAID, JUST TRUST

Jesus and Jairus are interrupted by emissaries from his house. In the Gospel of Mark we read, “’Your daughter is dead’ they said. ‘There is no need to bother the teacher anymore’ (Mark 5:35). But Jesus paid no attention to what they said.” (v. 36). I love that line! It describes the critical principle for seeing the unseen: Ignore what people say. Close your ears. And, if you must, walk away. Ignore the ones who say it’s too late to begin again. Turn a deaf ear toward those who say you aren’t smart enough, fast enough, tall enough, or big enough. Faith sometimes begins by stuffing your ears with cotton.

Jesus turns immediately to Jairus and pleads: “Don’t be afraid; just believe” (v. 36). And Jesus compels Jairus to see the unseen. When Jesus says, “Just believe.” he is imploring, “Don’t be afraid, just trust.” Is he saying the same words to you?

Ezra 1

Cyrus King of Persia: “Build The Temple of God!”

 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—this fulfilled the Message of God preached by Jeremiah—God prodded Cyrus king of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom. He wrote it out as follows:

From Cyrus king of Persia, a Proclamation: God, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship in Jerusalem, Judah. Who among you belongs to his people? God be with you! Go to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build The Temple of God, the God of Israel, Jerusalem’s God. Those who stay behind, wherever they happen to live, will support them with silver, gold, tools, and pack animals, along with Freewill-Offerings for The Temple of God in Jerusalem.

5-6 The heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone, in fact, God prodded—set out to build The Temple of God in Jerusalem. Their neighbors rallied behind them enthusiastically with silver, gold, tools, pack animals, expensive gifts, and, over and above these, Freewill-Offerings.

7-10 Also, King Cyrus turned over to them all the vessels and utensils from The Temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar had hauled from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia put Mithredath the treasurer in charge of the transfer; he provided a full inventory for Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah, including the following:

30 gold dishes

1,000 silver dishes

29 silver pans

30 gold bowls

410 duplicate silver bowls

1,000 miscellaneous items.

11 All told, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles that Sheshbazzar took with him when he brought the exiles back from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Today's Scripture & Insight:

Isaiah 26:3–13

You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
5 He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
    and casts it down to the dust.
6 Feet trample it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,
    the footsteps of the poor.

7 The path of the righteous is level;
    you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[a]
    we wait for you;
your name and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
    in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
    and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,
    but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
    let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.

12 Lord, you establish peace for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name alone do we honor.

Insight
In calling His people to trust Him instead of trusting in other nations, God proclaimed Himself sovereign over all human history (Isaiah 24–27). God is at work behind the scenes, orchestrating events to the triumphant outcome He planned for the end of time. He’ll judge and punish the wicked and the proud (24:16–23; 25:10–12), but will bless those who humble themselves and trust in Him (25:1–8). Isaiah 26 is a song of praise celebrating the salvation and blessings God will bestow on those who trust, obey, and honor Him (vv. 7–9).

Unbreakable Faith
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3

After doctors diagnosed their first-born son with autism, Diane Dokko Kim and her husband grieved facing a lifetime of caring for a cognitively disabled child. In her book Unbroken Faith, she admits to struggling with adjusting their dreams and expectations for their beloved son’s future. Yet through this painful process, they learned that God can handle their anger, doubts, and fears. Now, with their son reaching adulthood, Diane uses her experiences to encourage parents of children with special needs. She tells others about God’s unbreakable promises, limitless power, and loving faithfulness. She assures people that He gives us permission to grieve when we experience the death of a dream, an expectation, a way or a season of life.

In Isaiah 26, the prophet declares that God’s people can trust in the Lord forever, “for the Lord . . . is the Rock eternal” (v. 4). He’s able to sustain us with supernatural peace in every situation (v. 12). Focusing on His unchanging character and crying out to Him during troublesome times revitalizes our hope (v. 15).

When we face any loss, disappointment, or difficult circumstance, God invites us to be honest with Him. He can handle our ever-changing emotions and our questions. He remains with us and refreshes our spirits with enduring hope. Even when we feel like our lives are falling apart, God can make our faith unbreakable. By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray
Have you ever struggled with being honest with God when life feels overwhelming? How has God helped you deal with the death of a dream or expectation?

Loving God, please help me believe You can always be trusted with my honest emotions.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Vision and Darkness

When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. —Genesis 15:12

Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in “the shadow of His hand” (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen. There is a “darkness” that comes from too much light— that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11).

Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? “I am Almighty God…”— El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.
The Place of Help

Bible in a Year: Genesis 46-48; Matthew 13:1-30

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The High Price of Saving Your Life - #8877

Just another day on the subways of New York. That's what Wesley Autrey thought it was going to be as he waited for the next train with his two young daughters. There it was - the light of the approaching subway. Suddenly, a young man near him stumbled off the platform and fell onto the tracks below. Later, that 19-year-old's family said it was because of a recurring medical problem he had. With the subway approaching, Wesley Autrey made his choice. He literally dove on top of the fallen man and rolled him into the drainage trough between the tracks. Then he threw his body on top of the young man, forcing him to stay down. It was too late for the subway to stop. The train ran right over the spot where one man was literally laying his life on the line for another man. The subway missed them by two inches.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The High Price of Saving Your Life."

Every national newscast used the same word to describe Wesley Autrey that night: hero. He really was. The young man's parents believe he's alive today because of one man who put himself between their son and what would have killed him. Clearly, the rescuer was willing to give his life so someone else could live.

I'm alive today because of a hero who did that for me; except it cost Him His life for me to live. That Rescuer is, of course, Jesus. In all the meetings and creeds and denominations and beliefs, it's easy to miss what Jesus is really all about.

When the blockbuster movie The Passion of the Christ came out, it took millions of people back to before there was a Christianity - to where it was just Christ being beaten and butchered and crucified on a bloody cross. He could have called thousands of angels to rescue Him, but He refused to be rescued because He was rescuing me and you. He was rescuing a world of us who have broken God's laws, who deserve the hell that's the penalty for it.

That's the Jesus that comes knocking on the door of your heart this very day. He's giving you an opportunity to open your life to the only One who can rescue you from the death penalty for your sin. He died so you don't have to. You need to hear what He Himself says about His love for you and the price He paid for you because He does.

He talked about it in John 10, beginning with verse 11, our word for today from the Word of God. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep...I lay down My life...No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord." Wait! Jesus wasn't a victim of religious leaders or Roman executioners. He created those people. He created the tree they nailed Him to. They didn't take His life; He gave His life.

And here's the part you just don't miss. He gave it for you. He put Himself between you and the judgment of Almighty God, and He took it for you. The Bible sums it up in eight powerful words: "Jesus laid down His life for us." You might as well put your name in that verse. "Jesus Christ laid down His life for" (there's your name). Or, "Jesus Christ laid down His life for me."

It doesn't make sense to ignore this Rescuer; to push Him away. On His behalf, I beg you, let Jesus rescue you! He did all He could do so you could live, but it's your move now. He didn't stay dead. He rose from the dead, so He's knocking on the door of your heart today. Tell Him, "Jesus, I have no hope but You. I can't just sit here when You gave Your life for me. I'm turning from my sin to embrace You as my Rescuer from my sin." Don't you want this?

At this crossroads moment, this would be a great time for you to see what awaits you at our website. Because the information is there to help you know you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. That website is ANewStory.com.

No one's ever loved you like Jesus has. This is the day you could have that love; the day that you finally belong to the One who loves you the most.