Day 357 Bible Readings for December 24 – Ezra 10: 2-3 (ESV)

Ezra 10, Revelation 14: 14-20, Revelation 15, Proverbs 29: 1-9

Ezra 10: 2-3 (ESV)

“And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.”

In verses 2 and 3 from Ezra 10, Shecaniah tells us that it is against God’s law to be yoked to someone who is not of the faith. If you are yoked with someone not of the faith, you must give them up including the children from the relationship. Fortunately, we are not bound by the old covenant that Ezekiel and Shecaniah lived under in their life. Since we are under the new covenant with Jesus Christ, if we are yoked with someone not of the faith, we do not have to leave them. God will find a way to work with the situation in our life. Perhaps the person not of the faith will turn to God because of our belief in Christ. We need to trust in God in this matter of being yoked with an unbeliever.

I think it must be hard especially in times like Christmas, when one is yoked with an unbeliever. The person not of the faith may not have the same enthusiasm for the season that you do. But if we come to God yoked to an unbeliever, we need to stay with the person since they might be with us as part of God’s plan. In these types of situations, we need to trust in God fully that whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, that God has a plan for our lives.

Day 356 Bible Readings – Proverbs 28: 26 (ESV)

Ezra 8: 15-36, Ezra 9, Revelation 14: 1-13, Proverbs 28: 18-28

Proverbs 28: 26 (ESV)

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

In verse 26 from Proverbs 28, Solomon tells us we cannot trust our own mind. When Solomon writes of wisdom, he is of course referring to the wisdom found in God’s words and following his laws. It is often tempting to trust in our own minds since it is what helps us get through the day to day living of our lives. But while the mind can help us with living, it only by reading and dwelling in God’s words and following his laws can we be delivered of all dangers.

I think if you ask any person of faith, they will tell you many stories of when they trusted their own mind instead of relying on God’s words or laws for advice. These stories like mine often did not end well. They will then offer you stories of when they trusted God’s words and laws instead of what their mind was telling them do. They followed God’s words even it seemed so contrary to what their mind and the world was telling them. Then they will tell you the miracles that happened in their life when the followed God’s words. If you find yourself sometimes doubting God’s words and his laws, then pray to God to show you which direction to go in your life. God is always faithful and will always give you his wisdom to follow in your life.

Day 355 Bible Readings for December 22 – Ezra 7: 27-28 (ESV)

Ezra 7: 11-28, Ezra 8: 1-14, Revelation 13, Proverbs 28: 7-17

Ezra 7: 27-28 (ESV)

“Blessed 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, and 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 hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.”

In verses 27 and 28 from Ezra 7, Ezra praises God for what is a miracle to him. Ezra tells us that it can only be God who could have put thoughts of beautifying the house of the Lord in the heart of the king. I love how Ezra attributed the actions of the king to God. I know exactly how Ezra felt when he blessed the Lord. I’ve had experiences like Ezra in my own life. When an impossible situation was all of a sudden rectified in my favor, I always consider it a miracle and thank God for intervening in my life and answering my prayers. When miracles do come into my life, I have similar thoughts to Ezra as well. When miracles happen in my life, it makes me feel like God is guiding me and helping me to fulfill his plan for my life.

Day 354 Bible Readings for December 21 – Proverbs 27: 23-24 (ESV)

Ezra 6, Ezra 7: 1-10, Revelations 12, Proverbs 27: 23-27, Proverbs 28: 1-6

Proverbs 27: 23-24 (ESV)

“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?”

In verses 23-24 from Proverbs 27, Solomon tells us that if we do not know well what we have and give attention to it then it will not last. I’ve found this true in my own life. If I did not pay attention to my chores, then my living space would become a mess. If I did not pay attention to my finances, then my debt increased. The best thing I’ve done in my life is to track all of my expenses no matter how small. As soon as I started tracking my spend, I found out what I was spending my money on every day. If I needed to make cuts then it was easier, because I knew where every penny was going. Even when my finances became very abundant, I still kept tracking my expenses because I wanted to see if what I was buying was of quality. I found it if I bought shoes that were cheap but not of quality, they only lasted less than a year. Once I started buying more expensive shoes, I found it they lasted much longer than the cheap ones I was used to buying. Some people like to have different shoes every year, so if they break then no matter. I’ve found out over the years that I like the items I buy to last, but only because it takes a long time for me to buy anything. So I like Solomon’s advice because I’ve seen its wisdom in my own life.