Be Courageous
“Now
when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself
down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very
great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very
sore. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of
the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our
God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is
hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with
our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to
the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our
God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise; for this matter belongeth
unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of
good courage, and do it. Then arose Ezra, and
made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should
do according to this word. And they sware.” (Ezra
10:1-5)
Today’s Morsel: One of the important traits of character of a leader is that of courage. Throughout scripture, God constantly tells His leaders and those that He chose to be strong and of good courage. I believe that in today’s world, and even in the church, every leader needs to develop this trait quickly because we are going to have to deal with things that go against the Word of God and against the norm. We see this time and time again in scripture when God sends His prophets to correct His people; it's not an easy walk for them. No, it’s not always an easy task to do because many folks are afraid of offending and turning people away. However, we must ask ourselves which is better for them, heaven, or hell. I think that most people would rather have you tell them their wrong, letting them be angry at you knowing that you had their best interest at heart than to not tell them and let them burn forever. The people told Ezra that they had done wrong, and he needed to decide if they should put their wives and children away. This was not an easy task for Ezra, but they told him to be of good courage, and do it. What will you do to help others do right? “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” J.K. Rowlings
Sing: Be strong! Be brave! For the Lord, our God is with you. Be strong! Be brave! For the Lord, our God is with you. We won’t be afraid, we won’t be dismayed. Because we’re walking in faith and victory. Because we’re walking in faith and victory because the Lord, our God, is with us.
Thought For Today: Heaven and hell are both eternal.
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