Today's Devotional: Lean On Him

 

Relying on the Spirit in Our Work

Obstacles will come; we can choose to focus on them or trust the Lord for direction. 

From Intouch Ministries

August 20, 2023

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Ezra 4:1-5

The Israelites had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. But many opposed their efforts, and were, in fact, quite clever. First, they offered to help. What better way to cause things to go wrong than to get involved in the work? When their aid was rejected, the enemies set out to discourage and scare the Israelites. They were successful in stopping the work—temporarily. 

But “the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews,” and the work was finally able to proceed (Ezra 5:5). The Lord took care of the mountain of opposition before them. What that means is, sometimes He will remove the problem; at other times He’ll walk with us through it. But either way, He wants us to depend on Him. This means choosing to ...

• Patiently love friends and family.

• Wisely guide others toward godliness.

• Follow scriptural principles about finances.

• Have divine contentment in our current circumstances.

• Do God’s work His way. 

Our work should be characterized by dependence on the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16). While that mindset is countercultural, it’s the only way to live as a child of God. Seek out others who regularly try to follow the Spirit’s leading, and spur each other on to live it out.

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 37-40