Tobit 1:6

But I alone traveled frequently to Jerusalem for the feast days, as it is written for all of Israel in an everlasting ordinance. I would carry the firstfruits and the tithes of my harvest and the first-shearing.

Personal Challenge

Life is not easy. We all have challenges in our lives. Sometimes they are of our own doing, but often they are pressed upon us. It is given that while we are in these temporal bodies, the fallen world will present challenges. What is important is how we handle these challenges. In the story before this verse, we find that Tobit and his people have been captured and exiled far away from their homeland where his precious Jerusalem was. For him, because he loved his God dearly, it was very important to follow the teachings of his forefathers and return to Jerusalem for the feast days. This was not easy. It was not convenient. It cost him much time and money. But for him, it was important to exercise His spiritual beliefs. Do we live this way today? Is our God important enough to make our way to church when it is inconvenient? Do we spend time with Him when we would rather sleep in or do our own thing? Are we willing to put Him first above everything else in our lives? Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Nehemiah 6:16

And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

Personal Challenge

Do we live our lives in such a way that others look at the fruit that we produce and proclaim that God must have been working through us? We so often live our lives, even as we proclaim to be Christians, so far removed from God, that there is no evidence of Him working in our lives. I know that I am guilty of this. It is becoming more difficult to proclaim our God and His involvement in our lives because our society is moving so far away from God. But it is our responsibility to proclaim Him in both our words and our actions, even to the point of persecution. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Nehemiah 4:7-8

Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall in the sheltered areas, and I positioned the people by families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember our God, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

Personal Challenge

The Boy Scout motto is, “Be prepared!”. It is important for us to be prepared for the things in life that might come our way. Nehemiah did this for his people as he prepared them for battle. But it is much more important to make sure that we look to God for our ultimate preparation and guidance for every aspect of our lives. He is the One who will carry us through every battle in our lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

These are the ordinances and the judgments the Lord commanded the children of Israel in the desert, when they came from the land of Egypt: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, from your whole soul, and from your whole power. So these words I command you today shall be in your heart and in your soul. You shall teach them to your sons, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and it shall be immovable before your eyes; and you shall write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

Personal Challenge

Where do we get our power and strength to make it through every day of our lives? From the word of God. What is the word of God and where do I find it? We can get a lot of the word of God from our written Scriptures, however, that is just a small portion of God’s word. God speaks to us through His creation, through His church, but most importantly, His Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. If we want to live a full and righteous life then we must pursue our God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit with our whole power, our whole heart, and our whole soul. Being a child of God means total surrender to Him and total immersion in His loving ways and commandments. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Genesis 15:6

And Abram believed God, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Encouraging Words

Abram, later to be renamed Abraham, is recognized as the father of Judaism and Christianity. The Muslims also claim him as their father. In this simple verse we see that because he believed God, God proclaimed him to be righteous. This is where our life with God begins… believing. Glory be to God!

1 Esdras 9:54-55

Then everyone went on their way to eat and drink, to gladden themselves, to give gifts to those who were lacking, and to heartily rejoice. For they were inspired by the words which were taught to them, and they gathered together.

Personal Challenge

Finally, the people of Israel have finished rebuilding their temple. They have assembled together to hear the reading of their scriptures that they have not heard for many years. What was the result? They were brought to tears at what they had missed for so long. They were moved to celebrate the glory of their God and to share that celebration with those who lacked. They rejoiced and they gathered together as a community. Does the hearing of the scriptures today move us to behave this way or are our hearts hardened by the softness of our lives? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Esdras 4:59-60

“The victory and the wisdom are from You, the glory is Yours, and I am Your servant. Blessed are You who granted me wisdom, and I give thanks to You, O Lord of our fathers.”

Personal Challenge

Are we as willing to give God the praise that He is due as Zerubbabel was after God encouraged Cyrus to let His people rebuild the temple? God is always at work in our lives. His work is always for our good. Sometimes He works through us and sometimes He works around us. Are we willing to give Him all of the credit and trust that He knows what is best for us? I know that I do not spend enough time giving God the credit that He is due or blessing Him for the great works that He is doing in my life. Glory be to God!

1 Esdras 4:38-40

“But the truth abides and is strong forever. The truth lives and rules unto ages of ages. There is no partiality or prejudice with the truth, but it does righteous things, distinct from all wrongdoings and evil. All are pleased with its deeds, and there is nothing unjust in its judgment. For strength, dominion, authority, and majesty belong to it unto all ages, and blessed is the God of truth.”

Encouraging Words

We live in an age of lies. False news, fake news, has become more prevalent than real news. We have unlimited amounts of information available to us through the internet and yet we have lost the ability to discern between the truth and the lies. King Zerubbabel of the Old Testament reminds us that our God is the God of truth and that we must stay close to Him if we desire to know the truth. Glory be to God!

2 Chronicles 32:7-8

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of the king of Assyria, nor before all the nation with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him are arms of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to save us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Encouraging Words

Once again we hear the charge to be strong and courageous given to the people of Israel. How many times do we need to see God’s hand at work in our lives before we believe that He is always with us? How many miracles does He have to perform for us to trust Him with every aspect of our lives? God is God and I am not. He has promised to be there for us and to guard and protect us. He has never faltered on His promises. What are we waiting for? There are more with us in our Lord than there is against us in the entire world, both physical and spiritual. Glory be to God!