Get Up!

Scripture:

Ezra 10:4 "Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting this straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action".

Observation:

Ezra was praying and repenting before God for the sins of his people. They came to him and said, "we have been unfaithful to God", we have married wives and had children with the foreigners in the land we were in. While Ezra was weeping before the Lord, the people came and said, "get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to set things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action". He was realizing the people had been in terrible sin by taking wives of the heathen nations around them and wanted out of it. They wanted him to be strong in the Lord and tell them what they needed to do to get right with God.

Application:

Most Christians really do want to serve God with all their heart and want to know when they are doing wrong and how to fix it, but because we don't want to say anything hard to them, we hesitate to say anything. We leave them in their sin instead of confronting the things in their lives that are killing them. It seems today that people don't want to hear the fact that they are not in obedience to God, but this morning the Lord is speaking to me and saying, "get up, for it is your duty to tell them how to set things straight, be strong and take action". We should never be afraid to speak up for God when something is true in His word. We should be ready to defend Him and His word at all costs, even if it offends people. Ezra was about to tell all Israel to divorce their wives and leave their children. WOW! What a message to bring to a people.

Prayer,

Lord, you have placed me in a position where I have to say what You want said whether people like it or not. Give me the strength to get up and tell people how to get back to God. Give me the strength to confront sin and sinful behaviors with the passion of God Him self. Teach me to be strong i You and less concerned about how people will like me than about being true to You word. I love You Lord and want to represent You well. Give me the strength I need to get up and tell the truth to people.

Thanks,
Jeff