Three Essential Ingredients to Rebuilding

Today’s Scripture Readings:

• OT: Ezra 1 & 2
• NT: Mark 11
• W&W: Psalm 37.1-11

Today’s Reflection:

Beginning today, I am adding two features to my blog: daily scripture readings (Old Testament, New Testament, and Worship & Wisdom) and weekly scripture memorization. I’m doing this for those of you who may wish to read along with me. Often my reflections are based on one of the daily scripture readings. I hope this is helpful to you in your journey with the Lord.

The book of Ezra is an account of the people of God returning to Jerusalem after a period of exile in Babylon. They returned to rebuild the altar and the temple and to restore the worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem. Nehemiah, the book that follows Ezra, is the story of rebuilding the walls of the city. Both books can serve as inspiration to God’s people today to rebuild and restore our faith.

As I read Ezra 1 and 2, I saw three ingredients that are important whenever we are attempting to rebuild our faith. We need to consider:

• The people who go: These are the leaders, the risk-takers, the entrepreneurs, the pioneers. They are the doers. Often they are family heads. They are people whose hearts God has moved. Whenever we are attempting to rebuild something for God, we need people like this to provide forward momentum, vision, faith, and energy for the work.
• The people who give: In Ezra’s case, these were people who stayed behind and could not be a part of the physical work of rebuilding. But, they were spiritually and emotionally present with the entrepreneurs. These people provide assistance, encouragement and resources. They are described as giving “freewill offerings,” indicating that their hearts were in the work as well. Again, when we undergo a “rebuilding campaign” in God’s work, we should give careful attention and appreciation to those who provide the stability and structure as well as much of the resources for the work.
• The people who ground: These people help us remember our past. Cyrus brought out the treasures remaining from the past that would help move the people toward a future of worship and service to God and his people. All successful rebuilding must be grounded on the past. Our history – our shared stories – provides the trajectory on which we travel into God’s preferred future. In the work of God, the past must be remembered and cherished and employed.

In our attempts at revival and renewal, we neglect these three ingredients to our own peril. As you make changes and move into your future, remember the people who go, the people who give, and the people who ground.

This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:

During the season of Lent, I am challenging you to memorize Isaiah 53. We will need to memorize 1 or 2 verses each week. This week, memorize…

Isaiah 53.1: Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?