Posted by This morning I was reading the book of Ezra in my Bible, and I came across a few things that shocked me. Here’s a little background on the story. The temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed and Darius, the King of Persia has decreed for the temple to be rebuilt. After the temple has been rebuilt, Ezra and the Israelites are trying to follow the Law again, they had taken passover and offered sacrifices, but in Chapter 9 a problem springs up. Many of the Israelites has married foreign people which God told them not to do. Then, in chapter 10 the men agree to “put away” all of their foreign wives and even children, in order to follow God’s commands.
When I read that, I was shocked! I didn’t think that they would do that. I began to think of where those wives and children would go, how they would support themselves, and why the men would agree to do that. Then it hit me, God is the Ultimate! These men realized that God was so superior to anything in this world, including their wives and children, that they were willing to give up anything to be in right standing with Him.
Jesus said this same thing in Luke 14:33
“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
These men were willing to give up everything to follow God. Was it easy? No. But the supremacy of God made it simple. Because of this, I had to stop and pray and ask God to give me a passion and desire for Him like these men, and the courage to act on that passion.
So my question to you is: What is ‘the ultimate’ in your life?
Work in Progress 