Ezr 6

To read this in Vietnamese, please click here.

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God-made or Man-made... 

I. Click here to READ Ezra 6 first.

II. One thing the Bible teaches: (after 20 years and a lot of delays from local troublemakers, the temple was finally completed, dedicated, and used for worship. And on the Passover that year... )

22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

III. Reflection

* Questions: On that Passover Day, the temple was filled with joy. Where did that joy come from?

IV. Application

Dear Lord God: I thank You for letting me see that not only joy comes from You, but also in Your presence there is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11). I thank You for assuring me that it is You who makes people joyful. People might attempt to make joy, but it is man-made, artificial, and temporal. But praise the Lord, for there is such a thing as God-made joy. It is surely sustainable. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me that not only do You make joy, but also You actively and intentionally want us to have that joy fully (John 15:11). O Lord! Today, instead of me trying to make joy for those I care about, please remind me to pray (1) that You will make that joy in them, and (2) that I will live by Your Word as it brings joy in me. May my joy be communicable. Amen

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Note: If you want to reflect on other books and chapters of the Bible, click here.

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