If you've ever tried to give when you felt strapped for resources, you may have discovered this truth already: giving is an act of trust. When we give, we are making a choice to believe that God will provide for our every need no matter what. God challenges His people to trust Him enough to give wholeheartedly, promising that in return, He would open the "floodgates of heaven."

Today, this verse prompts us to examine our own generosity. Are we holding back, or are we trusting God with all we have? We get to bring our whole tithe to God, not out of obligation but out of faith but out of faith. We get to say 'yes' to God's invitation to experience His provision in everything, and even provide for others.

The people of Israel were exiled from their homeland for generations. In the book of Ezra, they were allowed by Cyrus the Great to return. In these verses, Ezra makes a decree: the men that have taken "strange wives" have badly transgressed against Israel and against God. they must repent and get rid of these non-Jewish wives in order to satisfy their Lord. Not too different from what my and my wife's families said!

Ezra and the leaders of Israel feared to lose their culture and their identity. If they mixed their bloodlines with people of other nations, they would be unable to preserve the culture that they were proud of. More importantly, they were proud of. More importantly, they were worried that they would lose their people to other gods.

“Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.”
“And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.”
“Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.”
“Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.”

Ezra 10:6-12 KJV

🙏❤️🤗🕊️I am so glad that God's Word is inspiring you. Stand strong in God and He will guide your path. Wishing you and yours a blessed day.🙏❤️🤗🕊️

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The peace of God is a gift that He gives us. It's something we experience as we draw near to Him by living in a way that honors Him. If we know His will but don't do anything about it-that shows that we don't really want to honor God. But if we do His will, then our actions illustrate that our identity is rooted in Christ. And our closeness to Christ allows us to experience His peace.

Doing the will of God-not just learning about the will of God-unleashes the peace of God.

So today, study what Paul taught and modeled (which is ultimately what Jesus taught and modeled). And then, ask yourself: "What is God teaching me about Himself, myself, and other people? How can I apply His teachings to my life?

Jesus, too, was passionate about His followers not just trying to look good or to sound good, but to do good-with a heart that genuinely wanted to glorify God. James, the half brother of Jesus, also wrote about not just listening to the Word, but doing that it says.

But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. James 1:22-24 ESV

It's one thing to know about something, but it is an entirely different thing to put that knowledge into practice.

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Sadly for the kingdom of Israel, the Babylonian captivity was not just a bad dream. The Jews were persecuted and exiled from their homeland, scattered around without any central area to settle. Their luck changes when the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, conquers the land of Israel back to their homeland. As we all know, this area of the globe has been disputed and fought over to this day, but everyone with a connection to it will not give up their homeland. Like Dorothy said, "There's no place like home." God gives the Jews another chance in the place they call home. When it seems as if we will never have good fortune, the Lord will give us what we need. Do not despair, God will provide.

“And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
“Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.”
“And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.”
“Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;”
“Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.”

Ezra 1:1-8 KJV

🙏❤️🤗🕊️You are most welcome. I am so glad that they helped you. May God's grace and mercy be upon you and yours always. Have a blessed and beautiful day.🙏❤️🤗🕊️

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This doesn't mean you won't face hard things. But even when your mind races and your heart doubts, God offers a peace and an intimacy that cannot be fully explained.

Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we now have constant access to God's presence through His Holy Spirit. There are many places in the Bible where the Holy Spirit is described as the Comforter-ready to soothe, guide, counsel, and encourage.

The comfort we receive from God is a gift from His Spirit who is always with us. So if your heart is breaking and your spirit is crushed, know that you are in good hands. God is near, and He will not abandon you.

Today, take a few moments to name anything that has crushed your spirit. Then, give yourself permission to just sit in God's presence for a few moments. When you're ready, consider memorizing today's verse and meditate on it throughout your day.

The Bible up to this point has been a celebration of the kingdom of Israel. This is not to say that there have not been dark times, but the Babylonian empire is about to conquer Israel, looting, pillaging, and destroying everything on the way. The Babylonian captivity lasts for around 70 years, with the Jewish people being exiled from their homeland. Finally, Cyrus, the great takes power and allows the Jews to return to their home. The final verse of 2 Chronicles is a proclamation of Cyrus, although its' authenticity is questioned, commanding the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem.

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,”
“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.”

2 Chronicles 36:14-23 KJV

“And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.”
“And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.”
“And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:”
“To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.”

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🙏❤️🤗🕊️Thank you so much. I appreciate the kind words.🙏❤️🤗🕊️

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🙏❤️🤗🕊️Thank you, Janet.🙏❤️🤗🕊️

Minutes before their deaths, two criminals hung next to Jesus on the cross. One of the criminals mocked Him, but the other one trusted in Him. Jesus told the one who trusted Him that He would soon be in Heaven. He received grace.

You see, we've all sinned and fallen short of God's holy standard. We all need His grace, but we haven't all received His grace.

So are you trying to be good enough for God? The bad news is, you can't. You can't ever be good enough on your own. But the great news is, Jesus has already made a way. However, you can't simply know that He was a real person or think that some of His teachings were nice.

The most important question remains: Will you make Him the Lord of your life?

In these verses, King David is handing the throne and much of its responsibilities to his son, Solomon. Solomon has been chosen by God to construct a temple in Jerusalem. You can imagine the pressure that the not-yet-appointed King Solomon would be feeling; first, he must follow in the footsteps of his father, one of the most-beloved kings in history, and second, his first order of business is to construct a temple in God's honor. It could make any person of any generation crumble.

Luckily, David gives Solomon his blessing and constructive advice on how to rule. The most important tenet of advice: server God with a perfect heart and a willing mind. Now imagine modern society doing the same: what a perfect world we would live in!

“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”
“Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.”
1 Chronicles 28:2-10 KJV

“And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.”
1 Chronicles 28:20 KJV

“And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.”
“And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.”
“Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.”
“Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.”

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🙏❤️🤗🕊️Thank you so much, Janet. I wish, the same for you and yours. Have a most blessed week ahead.🙏❤️🤗🕊️

🙏❤️🤗🕊️She should be called a demonic baby killer. She is so much worse. Who cares what he calls her. The demon-crats are so evil. The whole world is watching and God will bring them all to the forefront to be shown who they really are.🙏❤️🤗🕊️

🙏❤️🤗🕊️Pray for all of these children in harms way of these demonic pedophiles. Please Heavenly Father, keep your hedge of protection around all the children everywhere and help them be able to tell what has happened to them. Please guard their hearts and give them courage to make it through this. Stand guard over them Father, and hold those demonic demons accountable for their crimes against the innocent children. Please love them Father and let these innocent people know that You are near to them Father. Grant them peace and rest. In Jesus' Name, Amen.🙏❤️🤗🕊️

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