Inspirational Message: Ezra Fed the Israelites With the Truth of God!

When the Israelites returned from exile in Babylon, their spiritual life must have been weak and maybe some of them probably forgot about God and His ways! To get the people back to spiritual health, Nehemiah organized a Bible study and Ezra was the teacher. How did Ezra organize his new work assignment? He read from the book of the Law of Moses from morning until midday, feeding the people with the truth of God (Nehemiah 8:3). How did the people respond? Just like we do today in a Bible class, they listened attentively. In fact, their desire for God’s word was so great that the family leaders, the priests and the Levites met with Ezra the following day to study the law in greater detail because they wanted to get a better understanding of God’s word (Nehemiah 8:13)!

For us today, when we feel estranged from God and spiritually weak, we too can find strength from the word of God. Problems in human relationships are not new; therefore ancient stories can revive our faith in the power of God then and now.

Instead of choosing our own improvement plan, a better approach might be to ask ourselves: “What does the Lord require of us?” Through the prophet Micah, God has revealed that He wants us to do what is right, to be merciful and to walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). Thankfully we do not have to rely on our own strength. The Holy Spirit has the power to help us as believers in our spiritual growth. In the New Testament, Paul taught the Ephesians that God is able to strengthen us with power through His Spirit in our inner being (Ephesians 3:16). For more guidance, read Paul’s prayer (Ephesians 3:14-20) which is a spiritually hopeful message for our needs.

We can always ask God to give us renewed desires for a relationship with Him and begin feeding our hearts, souls and minds with His word. When asking God to break the “Bread of Life”, let us continue to seek the Lord and His comfort in our lives. As we continue to study God’s word let us continue to ask Him to show us how to help others in their growing experiences which are spiritually grounded.

Mrs. Gladys R. McElmore, a resident of Norfolk’s Middle Town Arch Community, is a New Journal and Guide Freelance Contributor on religion. She is a native of Essex County, Va.