A Call to Spiritual Integrity: Finding Hope in Repentance
Ezra 10:2b
…yet now there is hope…
As we read our text today, we find the children of Israel weeping over their backslidden condition. The Levitical priesthood, while in captivity, had broken God’s commandment by taking to themselves strange wives. They were explicitly forbidden to do so by God Himself, for they were a chosen people, set aside to do the work of the Lord. The tragedy was that even the leaders of the house of God had given in to the temptations of their day, and had not preserved themselves against the day of hope that was soon to come. Oh men of God, we must maintain our spiritual integrity with the aid of Almighty God, even in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation! The truth is, many may not listen now, but one day sooner or later, they will need God, but who will they turn to for answers if we do not stay the course? If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? If the supposed leaders of the very work of God have fallen, then where does that put the rest of the world? May God grant us the strength to be faithful and true to the God who has called us and set us apart for His service. We must be ready and prepared at all times to give others the hope that yet exists in the dark world in which we live! We have no business wallowing in the mire of sin with the rest, when we should be leading them away from such sin.
Sadly, when we should have been leading others to the cross, we have instead led them away by our own hypocrisies. According to chapter 7 and verse 6, Ezra was a “ready scribe”. He was not caught off guard nor off duty; neither should God’s man be! It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful! We have no other options! We should not whine about our God-given responsibilities; rather, we should rejoice in that He hath counted us faithful, putting us into the ministry. And, since that is the case, we should strive to never disappoint our Lord! Will we make mistakes? Yes. Will we fail at times? Sure. Will we even sin on occasion? Absolutely. However, we are called to a higher calling, and therefore we are to be quick to confess, repent, and forsake our sins so as not to hinder the work that God is doing in us and through us. Let us therefore rise to the height of our calling, and proclaim loudly and clearly to a world and to a church lost in sin, “yet now there is hope”!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
…yet now there is hope…
As we read our text today, we find the children of Israel weeping over their backslidden condition. The Levitical priesthood, while in captivity, had broken God’s commandment by taking to themselves strange wives. They were explicitly forbidden to do so by God Himself, for they were a chosen people, set aside to do the work of the Lord. The tragedy was that even the leaders of the house of God had given in to the temptations of their day, and had not preserved themselves against the day of hope that was soon to come. Oh men of God, we must maintain our spiritual integrity with the aid of Almighty God, even in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation! The truth is, many may not listen now, but one day sooner or later, they will need God, but who will they turn to for answers if we do not stay the course? If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? If the supposed leaders of the very work of God have fallen, then where does that put the rest of the world? May God grant us the strength to be faithful and true to the God who has called us and set us apart for His service. We must be ready and prepared at all times to give others the hope that yet exists in the dark world in which we live! We have no business wallowing in the mire of sin with the rest, when we should be leading them away from such sin.
Sadly, when we should have been leading others to the cross, we have instead led them away by our own hypocrisies. According to chapter 7 and verse 6, Ezra was a “ready scribe”. He was not caught off guard nor off duty; neither should God’s man be! It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful! We have no other options! We should not whine about our God-given responsibilities; rather, we should rejoice in that He hath counted us faithful, putting us into the ministry. And, since that is the case, we should strive to never disappoint our Lord! Will we make mistakes? Yes. Will we fail at times? Sure. Will we even sin on occasion? Absolutely. However, we are called to a higher calling, and therefore we are to be quick to confess, repent, and forsake our sins so as not to hinder the work that God is doing in us and through us. Let us therefore rise to the height of our calling, and proclaim loudly and clearly to a world and to a church lost in sin, “yet now there is hope”!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill