Saturday, August 30: Ezra 3- Priorities.

Those who returned to Jerusalem got to work. Your city is in a shambles, walls, roads, building destroyed. Among the rubble lay the temple and its altar. Where does one begin rebuilding when everything is in disarray?

After settling into home, they set out to repair their way of life straight away. They started at the heart; they started with the altar!

The priests recognized that the heart of Israelite life was the altar, the place of sacrifice, honor and worship to the Lord. All efforts were focused on the altar and re-establishing the sacrifices God ordained before they did anything else…

This got me thinking. Do I recognize that worship of the Father, Son and Spirit is the heart of my life? And if I want to retain personal order or I want to reestablish routine after a long trip or intense season of work, I need to start with my heart. I need to start at my core. I need to start by re-ordering my personal rhythm of worship, prayer, scripture and devotion.

Everything in life is supported by the heart.  When my heart is connected to the Lord other priorities fall into place.

I faced the challenge of this life lesson recently after returning from a 4-week mission trip. There was so much to do. Laundry, mail, bills, yard work, unpacking, communication with family, mission trip update for church, family and friends, diving back into work. My to-do list seemed endless. On my first morning back I woke early, my mind racing with to do’s.

Would I dive into stuff or sit with Jesus?

A little bit here and a little bit there to reestablish life back home, but the first important chunk of time was spent in devotion, Bible reading and prayer.

Ezra 3 was my morning reading.  Thank You, Lord, for the reminder connection with You is the core of my life.

Praise be to You, Lord God. Praise be to You, Father, Jesus, Spirit. My Lord and my God. I adore You and I worship You. Halleluiah. Amen.