Chapter 1
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Ezra 1:2 – With great power comes great responsibility. This iconic message seems to be more than just for Spider-Man, possibly it’s something we too need to take a hold of. See the king of Persia here recognized here that all he had was given to him by the Lord. With all that, he also knew there was a responsibility on his shoulders to accomplish the will God had for him. We too have been given so much by God. Eternal life, unending joy, forgiveness of all our wrongs, and so much more. We’ve been given so much and it’s to empower us to accomplish the mission of helping others know about the life they can have with God. Use then what you’ve been given by God to fulfill your responsibility and calling. If an ancient king caught onto all this, then those of us who have been wash by the blood of Jesus surely can too. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1273
And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. Ezra 1:6 – Could you imagine being a Jew in this day! After decades of exile from your home, the invading king says the Lord your God had spoken to him and is sending you home. Your place of worship is going to be rebuilt and the invading nation is going to pay for it! If anytime called for a “hallelujah” this would have been the time. We see here in our verse that the people of Persia actually did as told and aided the Jewish community. They gave gold and animals and goods, and we see it was all freely given. God was taking care of His people, even when the help came from a place they probably would have never expected it to come from. We too must be willing to accept that God’s help may come from an unlikely source. Whether it was this story, or manna coming from Heaven, or a Samaritan helping on the side of a road, scripture repeatedly reveals that God provides in unlikely ways. What may need to change then is our heart to God’s help. Maybe we expect it to only come one way and when it doesn’t come “our way” we count God off as unfaithful. Or maybe we see something being offered from a place we don’t expect or want it to, and we reject the offering due to pride or some other wrong reason. If God has placed you on a path of doing His work, be willing to receive from Him what He offers you, even if it comes in ways and from places you don’t expect. For God isn’t about your pride, He’s about His glory and His work being accomplished. However God then moves and seeks to bless your life, be willing to receive with open hands what God gives. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2494
Chapter 2
Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. Ezra 2:1 – In our chapter today there was a lot of names we probably couldn’t pronounce and a lot of numbers being thrown out. It’s easy to skim over and not think much of the names and numbers here. While for us today, maybe deeply studying each name could unearth some great truths to help us, what I want us to remember is each name was a name of a person God sent home. Every number is a group of people God sent home. Every one of their families were taken from their homes and brought into captivity, yet here God is setting them on a course back home. If I did my math right, today we read about God doing 49,897 miracles. Where God saw their need, stepped into their life, and gave them the miracle they needed. Just keep in mind the God we worship today is this same God. The God who sees captivity as something He can free us from and can take us home. I love you, but Jesus love you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1274
Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments. Ezra 2:68-69 – The exiled people of God have arrived home, and now they have come to the spot where the temple once was. In front of them is a pile of rubble where the temple used to be, but instead of grumbling and complaining about the rubble-state of the temple, people stepped up to see the future begin. Leaders in the group gave what they could to begin the work of the rebuild. Yes, they saw the rubble like everyone else, but they also saw the potential and they sacrificed to bring that potential into being. Think now about the church home you’re a part of. Hopefully it’s not literally in a rubble state like the temple was in Ezra’s day, but maybe it’s not doing so great right now. From what you can, what can you give to begin the rebuild? Can you give a listening ear to those hurting? Can you be a stopper to the gossip when it comes your way? Can you serve even in places that aren’t your first pick to help fulfill a need? What can you sacrifice to see the building of your church home continue? Until a church stops making church about them, but about God and other’s coming to know Him, a church will remain in a rubble state. If though you want to see a church healthy, thriving, and together, it starts with being faithful with what God has blessed us with. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2495
Chapter 3
And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Ezra 3:11 – You don’t have to wait, and shouldn’t wait, to praise God till the end comes. Praise Him every step of the way. Here the shouts of praise aren’t for the completion of the temple, but just the foundation. The part that once done probably won’t even be seen by any. The part that if you invited your friends over to see it they probably wouldn’t be too excited about because it’s just a flat rock in the ground. That though didn’t stop them from praising God for it because it was a sign things were moving. Celebrate the steps. Of course celebrate the end, but give praise for each step. Maybe you haven’t quit that addiction yet, but you’ve gone a full day without it, celebrate that! Maybe you haven’t overcome the depression yet, but today was a good day, praise God for that! Give God praise for every step of the way. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1275
They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. Ezra 3:3 – While the rebuilding of the temple was their primary project, we see one of the first pieces of the rebuild was the altar. This would have been the place where their sacrifices to the Lord could be made so they could finally be in step with God’s laws once again. We see though a chief reason why the altar was made so quickly in the rebuild, because the people were in fear of the nations around them. While given permission by the king, that doesn’t mean everyone is going to support to king’s decision. What we see happen here is a healthy move being made by God’s people when a threat of an enemy was near. They turned to God. They were aware that they had not been keeping with God’s law and commands, and as a result they were out of sync with God’s way. If then they wanted the protection and blessing of the Lord, they knew a change in pace needed to be made. From walking away from God to walking towards Him. Let’s have this be our first move to when fear strikes. When we have a struggle or enemy at our doorstep, let’s take a healthy look at our pace in life. Have we been walking faithfully after Jesus? If not, let’s make whatever changes we need to make in our pace to be rightfully following Jesus again. For Jesus is where we’ll find the help in our struggle and protection from our enemy. What move then today may need to be made in your story to find your steps more after Jesus? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2496
Chapter 4
Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. Ezra 4:4-5 – This shows they truly didn’t follow the same God. Fellow followers of God wouldn’t behave like this…at least they better not. If we are fine with causing discouragement in the lives of others, especially our family in Christ, we are not following Jesus. If we are fine creating fear in the lives of others, especially our family in Christ, we are not following Jesus. Sadly though we hear too often that Christians not only behave this way with each other, but to those outside the church searching for a Savior. Let this not be so of you. If as a result of you interacting with someone you added to their shame, worry, anxiety, anger, fear, or discouragement, then you weren’t following Jesus there. This devotion today may be a sharp rebuke to some, but this needs to be said if we want to make sure we aren’t hurting each other and pushing people away from coming to meet Jesus. I love you, Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1276
Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. Ezra 4:24 – Opposition came, letters were sent, words were said, a king made a decree, and the work of rebuilding the temple stopped. Stopped for close to two years. What a frustrating season for the Jews, to have been given the rights to go home and rebuild, all to have their efforts stopped because of some sinful people’s words. One commentary I read shared a point that I hadn’t thought of, while the rebuilding had to cease, they still had in front of them what they restored so far. Mainly they still had the altar. This would have been their way of sacrifice to the Lord and it would have been connected with so many aspects of worship of the Lord. Yes, the rebuild was put on hold, but worship wasn’t. Yet for us when opposition arises, and plans get frustrated, and we get put in a hold season, does our worship of God get put on hold too? It can be so tempting to allow the persecution and the hold-ups in life to interfere with our worship of the Lord, but let’s remember what we have always in front of us. We always have Jesus with us. He will never leave, nor forsake us. More than likely as well, even in hold seasons, we’ll still be able to pray, read scripture, gather with other believers, worship with song, serve, and even still share the gospel. Yes, maybe work and home and relationships and so many other aspects of life aren’t going well currently, but our worship of Jesus doesn’t have to be put on hold as a result. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2497
Chapter 5
Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. Ezra 5:1-2 – This should be our routine. See we have the prophets speaking to the people the word that God spoke to them. Then, once the people heard what God had to say, they got up and began to work. They didn’t sit back aware of what needed to be done and just wait for awhile. They didn’t just say, “Well that’s a good word there from God, Bobby over there sure needs to hear it and get his act together.” No, they heard and then they began to move. Let’s make sure our routine is when we hear from God we don’t wait to move. When God speaks to us through scripture, or uses the words of a pastor or brother/sister in Christ in your story, listen and move accordingly. What’s the point of us leaning into what God has to say if we aren’t willing to move how He says to move? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 1277
But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. Ezra 5:5 – After close to two years of a pause on the rebuild, a message from the Lord was spoken over the people. Once heard, we see two faithful men step up and be the first to start again on the rebuild. Yet not long after the rebuilding started up did persecution arise again in their form of building permit red tape. But…God’s eye was on those faithful leaders. Yes there was questioning of their actions and a desire to see the work stop again, but God didn’t allow the enemy’s pushback to find victory. Let us remember that as God’s eye was on His faithful followers in Ezra’s day so is God’s eye on those who faithfully follow Him today. Pushback and persecution will follow our faithful walk, but God’s eye of protection and hand of provision will never leave us. Continue then to press forward in what God has called you to do, even when the enemy’s voice and hand are ever present. For those who are with us and more than those who are with them. Our God is an awesome God and if He wants us continuing to move forward, no enemy is going to be able to stop Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2498
Chapter 6
And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. Ezra 6:22 – God gives us reasons to be filled with joy, let’s make sure we accept them and be joyful. Here the people did just that. God worked on their behalf, the temple was rebuilt, and they celebrated with joy. Yet remember how in chapter 3 they rebuilt the foundation? There some rejoiced at what God had done, yet others wept bitterly because they remembered the first temple and it didn’t compare yet. God gives us reasons to rejoice and be joyful, our choice is if we’ll actually be joyful about them. We can allow bitterness, worry, and pride keep us from being joyful in the things that God has given us to be joyful about. Let that not be so. When it’s clear that it’s God that provided and moved in front of you, don’t let the enemy strip away this time to rejoice. Celebrate and praise God for what He did because we all need to rest in joy more than we are now. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1278
And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia. Ezra 6:14 – While the Jewish people didn’t expect the temple to be destroyed, and they didn’t expect to actually be carried off into exile, and I doubt they would have ever expected any of the events of Ezra to unfold, they did. Now they are back home in their own land with a temple rebuilt and ready for worship. While it was the Jewish hands that built the temple, this passage reveals who was the one truly making all this happen behind the scenes…God. It was God’s message through the prophets that caused their efforts to prosper and continue. It was God changing the hearts of multiple kings to where they not only allowed the rebuild but supported it with their own royal treasury. And when opposition arose, it was God who made sure the rebuild continued and the opposers were kept away. As we build, move, grow, and find success, let us also remember who it is behind the scenes truly making all we see unfold in front of us happen. While our hands may be the ones doing the physical work, who was it that created our hands and gave breath in our lungs to be living today? It’s the Lord behind it all. He gave us our life, He created our bodies, He gave us our mind, and He’s allowing all this to unfold the way it is. Let’s give God the glory He deserves and be thankful that He’s allowed us to be a part of His holy work in this world. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2499
Chapter 7
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:10 – Oh the beautiful three things we all need to do when it comes to God’s Word! First, study it. Choose to have a heart that is leaning into the study of God’s Word so you know the truths and promises in it well. Second, do it! Now that those truths, promises, and commands are deeply in your mind and heart, begin living them out in your daily life. Finally, teach them. This chapter speaks of multiple times where Ezra, who knew God’s scriptures well, took on the task of teaching it to others. For you, that may not mean behind a pulpit on Sundays (but it sure could!). It does though mean taking advantage of the time you have with others to teach them God’s Word. Have a Bible study at your place, grab coffee with friends and talk about scripture, tell the little ones around you a story from scripture to show them how awesome God is. Learn it, do it, teach it. Make sure you are finding ways to do all three. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1279
Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. Ezra 7:27-28 – To fully understand what this passage is speaking to, I’d encourage you to read the fullness of this chapter. In summary, God placed on the heart of the king to send Ezra, and any other teachers of God’s law, to go to the newly built temple to teach the people how to follow the Lord. The king would also furnish everything needed for sacrifices and setting up a structure of godly leadership in the land. God had truly set up so much for Ezra, but even with all that blessing, Ezra still needed to get up and move out. It still took courage to make this move, but he also knew God’s hand was on Him. For us, we may have all the blessing God can give over a situation, but there still is that choice on our end to get up and move out. God may provide the knowledge, experience, finances, and permission to make that move possible, but we still have to say yes. Will we trust God’s hand on us is enough to take care of us? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2500
Chapter 8
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. Ezra 8:21 – God isn’t appalled when we ask for more, even if we are currently stepping into His blessing on us. Here in our passage we just finished reading a long list of names of people who got to firsthand see the mighty hand of God work for them, yet now they are asking for more. Is God ok with that? Apparently so because He listens and does what they ask of Him. What we need to realize is they didn’t ask for more out of discontentment or selfishness. They were just moving along the journey God had called them to and while He had provided greatly until then, they needed Him again. God loves it when we need Him again and we choose to call out to Him. So in your following of Jesus when you come to a place where you need something, don’t hesitate to bring it before God. He wants you to bring that to Him and to rely on Him to get you to your next step. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1280
Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. Ezra 8:31 – Ezra was taking a step that he knew was right, but was aware the steps ahead could have been filled with robbers and attacks. So he approached the Lord, asked for safety on the path ahead, and took the first steps moving in trust God was going to protect. What we see then from our verse is that God came through and protected Ezra and the leaders on their way from all sorts of attacks. We also see a rhythm I hope we can follow when it come to our steps. Pray, step, watch. Pray for God’s protection on the path ahead because it may be filled with potential attack and difficulties. Take then that first step of faith onto the path you know God has directed you down. Now watch God come through for you. That provision may come in the shape of protection from enemies, provision for the struggles along the way, or some other way. What we get the blessing of seeing is how God takes care of His own when we faithfully follow His lead. The path ahead of you may be scary and uncertain, but follow Ezra’s lead here. Pray over this path, take the first step onto this path, and watch God come through for you on this path. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2501
Chapter 9
For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. Ezra 9:9 – They recognized two things here. That they were slaves and that God extended His great love to them in their slavery to save them. This is something we all need to recognize at some point in our story too. We are/were slaves to sin and it has/had its complete way with us. Yet in our slavery to sin God reached out His steadfast love to grant us freedom from it and save us. Today if you have seen that loving hand in your life and felt the freedom from sin God has given you, let’s make sure today we are setting aside the holds of sin that we keep holding onto like we read about in our passage. And if you haven’t yet accepted this freedom God has for you, know I’d love to share with you all about it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1281
And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this,14 shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? Ezra 9:13-14 – Ezra had a solid perspective on their current situation. Everything that had happened up to this point (the exile, persecution, and destruction of Jerusalem) all took place as a result of the Jew’s sinful actions. Yet looking at the rebuilt temple and the Jewish people back in Jerusalem living well, Ezra acknowledges they have been punished far less than they deserve. Now how will they respond to such grace? Continuing in their sinful behavior or making a change to live holy for the Lord? We too must see the similarities in our story. We have been given far less than what we deserve for our sinfulness. Even despite our sin, God has established a way for us to have eternal life with Him. How though will we respond to such grace? Will we acknowledge it, take it for granted, and continue to live sinfully, or will we make a change? A change that includes laying down our sin at Jesus’ feet and following His word instead of our fleshly desires. As you then study scripture and come across passages that reveal an unholy way you are living, make the choice then and there to demonstrate your gratitude for God’s grace by turning that sin over to Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2502
Chapter 10
Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. Ezra 10:18 – All these names have been recorded in scripture for eternity, yet not for the good they did but due to their sinfulness. Sometimes we can think that’s how God has recorded our name. That our name is written down in His books with every sin we’ve ever done bullet-pointed and certain ones are even highlighted. God though works with the book of life and if your name is written down in it that means when God looks at you He sees someone who is redeemed, forgiven, and holy. Not some unforgiven sinner. Try to believe that if you’ve accepted the life Jesus gives that God doesn’t see your sin like you think He does. He sees you completely and totally forgiven of your wrongs and as a pure, holy child of His. Understanding and accepting that truth is so important because how we think God sees us will dictate how we lean on Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1282
Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives. Ezra 10:11 – Ezra had learned about a great sin that had taken place within the people and leaders. They had taken for themselves wives of the neighboring lands, something God very clearly told them not to do in His law to them. To resolve this issue, Ezra commands the people that have sinned in such a way to break away from those marriages of foreign wives. A very bold command, and one that didn’t come without some opposition. Yet how is this still right because we’re talking about dissolving marriages correct? Yes and no. See while they were married to these foreign wives, these marriages where in opposition to God’s laws so unholy and null in God’s eyes. These were illegitimate marriages, yet the peoples were still in need of separating themselves from this sin. Today, can we find ourselves in an illegitimate marriage with some sort of sin? Maybe it is being in a relationship that is strictly forbidden for a follower of Jesus to be in. Maybe you are married to the sin of pride, gossip, or laziness. The command then given by Ezra is then also being spoken over you. Separate yourselves from these things. God desires and commands a holy lifestyle being pursued by His followers. Rather than what is unholy, marry yourself to what is holy and right in the Father’s eyes. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2503
Daily DEVO 