- 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
Daily DEVO 