Studyin' w/Lena's Journalin' to Ezra 10 Today

Sin is a violation of God and His ways. Confession means, to say what God has said. What God calls sin, one must also call sin in confession, err it is not a confession. So if God says to be unequally yoked together with a unbeliever is sin, and one is married to an unbeliever or in business partnership with one, or lives with one, or has continual fellowship and is deeply tied in soul, to an unbeliever, he can think he’ll save the person all day long, but until he says the same as God, there is no confession of sin and no repentance.
As long as one believes they have some sort of right in what they are doing or are self justified and excused from God’s kingdom laws, there will be no turning away from what has offended God.
To acknowledge He is right and I may be wrong, one must recognize and desire His law to be their law, His ways to become my ways.
The best way to live like this is to ask permission before making a decision with action involved. Hey what does God think of this, as I consider going into business with this unbeliever? Then humble one ’s self to believe the answer, and act on it. This type of living repairs many pains and hurts ahead of time. It is a higher form of living than to go ahead in our own thoughts and ways and then later have to separate a whole company and all of the ins and outs of its workings, as we begin to make a repair of our relationship with God.
Living by permission has everything to do with honor. If we honor God we care what He thinks and then we heed His thoughts above our own, even if we don’t initially understand or agree with them. We adapt ourselves to His ways, that is our venture as one’s who are Christlike. It is better to live by permission than by mistakes with grace, & forgiveness.
Do you realize what these guys had to go through and what they had to put other humans through to make their repairs with their Father? Divorce is never easy. It means separation, which is purposefully painful. To do it according to the law, meant one must act responsibly. They’d have to pay its price for the rest of their lives, with their lives (money represents a life given). They were fathers of children, there was a cost involved here in making separation. There’s always a cost involved.
We are not far off from being a part of this story. What have we done that we are living out the consequence of? What have we needed to separate from that we should have possibly never joined with? What carried a hefty price tag that we needed to give up to follow the ways of Christ?
As we read “stories” such as these, we need to place ourselves inside of the story. Every time we read the word we should stand scrutinized on purpose, placing ourselves in the center of the word. Is there anything at all we hold in higher esteem than saying what God says in our lives? How much have we excused ourselves from obeying His words personally?
These are important life saving questions to ask.
These men were priests, so are we. Kings and priests unto God, by the bloodshed of Christ Jesus.
Look at this list of sinners who were being brought to repentance and restoration before their Father this day.
Those who were fully willing to do whatever it took to be restored.
How willing are we to pay whatever it takes?
Jesus paid a HIGH price for us, through His blood.
God did not ask them to die to pay, but He did ask them to be willing to pay, willing to be restored.
Satan’s tool in the life of a believer is to excuse that believer and deceive him into believing he’s made it this far so has somehow arrived, and is a-ok. Contentment is an enemy of God. We may have come to a place of victory, but God is always calling us higher into a place of continual overcoming.
To he who overcomes and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and he will not be hurt by the second death, Him I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God, he will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne, he will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
Do you see yourself in any of these men’s names? Maybe at one time you overcame, are you still on that track? Repentance will bring us back.
It is time to recognize, acknowledge, confess, repent, renounce association with whatever keeps one from that oneness with his Father, restore relationships, and overcome!
Ezra one who helps,
Shecaniah dweller with Jehovah,
Jehiel God lives,
Levites joined to,
Jehohanan Jehovah has graced,
Eliashib God restores,
Judah praised
and Benjamin praised,
Jonathan Jehovah has given,
Asahel God-made
Jahzeiah Jehovah views,
Tikvah hope,
Meshullam friend
Shabbethai sabbatical,
Jeshua Jehovah is salvation
Jehozadak Jehovah is righteous,
Maaseiah work of Jehovah ,
Eliezer God is help ,
Jarib he contends ,
and Gedaliah Jehovah is great,
Immer he hath said:
Hanani gracious
and Zebadiah endowment of Jehovah,
Harim dedicated:
Maaseiah work of Jehovah ,
Elijah my God is Jehovah ,
Shemaiah heard by Jehovah,
Jehiel God lives,
and Uzziah my strength is Jehovah,
Pashhur freedom:
Elioenai unto Jehovah are my eyes,
Ishmael God will hear ,
Nethanel given of God,
Elasah God has made,
Shimei renowned,
Kelaiah (also called Kelita) Jehovah has dishonoured,
Pethahiah freed by Jehovah,
Eliashib God restores,
Shallum retribution,
Telem oppression,
and Uri flame, light of fire …..