Does your Bible study method include studying the Word, employing what you’ve learned, and teaching others?
14 Jun 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Ezra 6
Ezra 7
Ezra 8
John 21
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).
Does your Bible study method include studying the Word, employing what you’ve learned, and teaching others?
I have devised my F.I.R.E. method--which stands for familiarity, interpretation, relationship, and employment--from my study of the Bible. As a scribe, Ezra would be familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures because of reading and rereading them. Moreover, he carefully exegeted the Bible to understand its meaning. In order to grasp the broader implications of the Scriptures, he would have looked at the wider context of the passage under study. He concludes the process by employing or applying what he has learned. James writes, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). We should daily strive to do the same!
Employment Point: Prepare your hearts to study and employ God’s Word.
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Reflections
As what was shared, be doers of the word. There’s no point in just reading and knowing but not doing it. Then it becomes just head knowledge without heart knowledge.
I praise God that the book of James was the very first book I studied as a new Christian. It took us quite a while to finish even though it’s a short book but in it packed a lot of knowledge, the many things we ought to read and also reflect. We will come to that when we read about James.
“Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble. May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.”Ezra 6:11-12 NIV
- this contains the evidence of what Kong Darius had decreed for the rebuilding of the temple and that it would be fully paid for from the treasury and with preparation of all the animals that is also needed for sacrifice.
- In a way, this also shows how important archiving is and why scribes are needed too. Without that, who can testify what happened and there will be a gap in history. Praise the Lord that even things such as these were not forgotten.
“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”
Ezra 7:10 NIV
- Ezra had committed himself to studying the Revelation of God, to living it, and to teaching Israel to live its truths and ways’ (v.10, MSG). Study of God’s words without action is worthless.
- Ezra’s example gives a wonderful model to follow. Immerse yourself in God’s word, committing time and effort to studying it. Realise that, on its own, this is not enough. Allow God’s word to shape and change your life as well; put it into action and teach others to do the same.
“Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should his wrath fall on the realm of the king and of his sons?”Ezra 7:23 NIV
- This verse tells us that the king is afraid of the Lord’s wrath and thus abides in whatever King Darius had decreed, asking Ezra to make sure all is done according to purpose.
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way”
Ezra 7:27 NIV
- Praise be to the Lord too, that the king does all these things in full obedience.
“Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all; and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. They also brought 220 of the temple servants—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.”Ezra 8:18-20 NIV
- Indeed when the hand of God is on them, no one can stop. Whenever there was lack, it was always provided. Indeed the Lord is our shepherd, we have no lack.
“There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.””
Ezra 8:21-22 NIV
- The Lord had given Ezra wisdom to do the things that are pleasing to the Lord. Ezra understood that full well, that it was the Lord’s anger that forced them all into exile. Now that they are returning because the Lord had prompted the king, it does not mean what they had done in the past has no consequences.
- Soldiers or horsemen may be good to have but let us learn from Ezra and seek the Lord instead. The one who possess greater powers than all soldiers and horsemen.
“He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”John 21:6 NIV
- the thing with them at that point in time was that they had already tried without success to find any fish. But at Jesus’s suggestion, they try again in obedience and were blessed with a huge haul of fish.
- Let us be reminded to not let circumstances define our failures or successes but leave all the outcomes to the hands of the Lord. If He wills, it will happen and if it does not, we know that is His will as well.
“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.””
John 21:15 NIV
- it’s interesting that Jesus asked Peter this question after He told them to eat breakfast, asked if Peter loved Him more than these. What are these? It seems to be saying fishes and bread and provisions. Reminds me of the five loaves and two fishes that He multiplied. Then Jesus told him to feed His lambs. He seems to be saying to Peter to provide for people. He has seen those miracles and should by understand now why He has the ability to do so.
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Get Moving! (1)
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
June 14
Abide in Me… —John 15:4
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.
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Reflections
Actually the words mentioned in the wisdom from Oswald kind of answers this devotional. There are just many things in life that we have not yet to fully understand but the Lord asked us to just trust Him and follow Him, knowing that He is the Shepherd and will take care of His sheep. He only needs us to follow Him closely and abide in His calling, obeying His commands.
The picture in this devotional showed a group of people in what seemed like a long canoe. If you know of dragon boats, this looks largely similar and is also usually competitive. How one team can win the other is by moving as one, even though there are a few people rowing together. They would have to be trained in consistency, skills, strength, coordination, etc. amongst other things. For a team spot, it is really important to be moving in unity. If you had watched anything like this, you will realise how uniformly the winning team rowed against the others. Many rowing together in one motion. No one deviates.
Similarly for us as a body of Christ, made up by many parts of the body, we are to train ourselves to move as one with the other parts as well. Perhaps in the beginning we tend to struggle but as we persevere and continue dutifully and faithfully, the Lord rewards and will grant us momentum and a united heart in Christ. None of these can be achieved through our own personal efforts but only through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s pray:
O Father Lord, as I set to pray and be reminded of what was shared in today’s devotional, I was reminded that not only do we learn, we have to apply. After learning how to apply, we ought to also teach. As I attended a training yesterday, I was kind of prompted to sign up as trainer but I put it down too that yes, I will do it, if the Lord wills. Now reading back Ezra 7:10, He seemed to affirm that this is right.
Father we want to commit all these things into Your hands Lord. That if opportunities presented are truly Your will, let them be like an wide open door, otherwise please close that door so we will not get distracted and be able to stay focused on the paths You had laid before us. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻
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