Making Lists

Read: Ezra 2
“These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:” Ezra 2:2

Examine:
Though such a list of names and locations seems unnecessary to some modern readers, it would have been of great encouragement to the original readers as they saw their own families and towns represented. For them and their families their names were listed among one of the great movements of God. They said yes to God and became part of the recorded history of His greatness and the legacy of their family as well.

Apply:
The Bible is no longer being recorded, but the history of God’s movement is. There is nothing under the sun that goes unnoticed and every time I say yes to God my name goes down as being part of a movement. One day I will stand before God and be judged. Most of the teaching I have heard on this moment focuses on God replaying my failures. There is a lot I am unsure of but this much I know; Jesus said my failures have been removed, as far as the east is from the west. They no longer exist because of my faith in the complete work of the cross.

What I choose to believe to be true about a large part of my time before the throne will be an acknowledgement of my involvement with God’s movements on earth. Every work I join that is connected to Jesus’ mission to reconcile all things to Himself is credited to me and a reward for that is stored up where nothing can destroy it or take it away. Every work I join that is not of Jesus contains its full reward here on earth and the only list it makes is my resume and biography.

Pray:
This morning I am taken back to a moment ten years ago. I had a list on a couple sheets of yellow legal pad paper that numbered 127 items. It was a list of goals I wanted to accomplish with my life. The moment I am remembering now is the morning You told me to throw it away. That list had become my idol and it was time to lose it. It was a hard thing to do and there are honestly days I desire to see that list one more time!

I realize now that that list was about resume building and You asked me to put it aside because Your desire for my life was kingdom building. What started with the destruction of a list has culminated in a ten-year journey of You separating me from my fleshy desires for success in this life. There is very little that has happened over the past ten years that I would have chosen for my family or myself. That said, there is not a single aspect of where this journey has led that I would change.

I wanted to thank You this morning. You ignored what I wanted and gave me what I needed. You had me leave behind what I desired and trade it in for what You desired for me. You had me trash what was temporary and replaced it with something eternal. Thank You. The pain of loss will always be a cheap price to pay whenever I trade in my plans in exchange for Your greater plan.