Tag: faith
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Brought Us the Good News
6But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you…–1 Thessalonians 3 Timothy brought Paul an update about the Thessalonian church. He reported that…
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Received the Word of God
13And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.–1 Thessalonians 2 Paul reminded the Thessalonians of how they…
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He Has Chosen You
4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.–1 Thessalonians 1 The Apostle John once made it blessedly clear: I write these things to you who believe in the name of…
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A Very Great Assembly
1While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.–Ezra 10 Ezra had been corporately confessing for the entire nation. His confession involved his inside and also his outside.…
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I Am Ashamed and Blush
“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens…”–Ezra 9 Ezra was confessing sins publicly and corporately for his people. Ezra felt shame and embarrassment when faced with his sins…
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To Seek From Him a Safe Journey
21Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our…
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I Took Courage
27Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, 28and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the…
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For the Lord Had Made
22…for the LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king…–Ezra 6 This little phrase grabbed ahold of me this morning. Judah was in a place where joy might have been lacking. They were allowed to return and rebuild, and then they had to stop. All hinged on the decree of a foreign…
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Arose and Began to Rebuild
2Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.–Ezra 5 The people in Jerusalem faced a decision. They knew what honored God, but political opponents previously stopped them. Now…
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The People of the Land
4Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.–Ezra 4 Just as soon as the building started, Judah faced frustration and opposition.…
