Seize the Moment – Day 990
Live a Holy Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, December 2.
Throughout the Bible, God calls His people to be holy – set apart from the impurities of the world for His divine purposes (1 John 2:15-17). God is not wanting to rain on your parade, He is desiring to reign over your life. The sacrifices you are asked to make may not make sense at the time, but it comes down to trusting God and that His ways are right and true, every time.
It is hard for us to understand why Ezra was so upset upon his discovery of these intermarriages, but it is important to understand that this was about Israel’s religious purity, not the wives’ ethnicity. It was Israel’s disobedience that led them into captivity and caused the destruction of Jerusalem and the first temple, in the first place, so this was not a minor issue; this was life or death. Disobedience to God always comes with consequences – “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). Ezra could not let sin slide, nor should we in our lives.
Seize the moment and live a holy life by walking closely with Jesus – “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6; cf. 1 Peter 2:19).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.