EZRA 2:68 - 3:3

68 And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:

69 They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests’ garments.

70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

1 ¶ And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

3 And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
 

LAID OUT      ON THE TABLE BEFORE US
 

Here given is a passage concerning the peoples "Maintaining the altar before the Lord"

Would you agree with me that maintaining a time of devotions every day at basically the same time of day, preferably the morning is a constant challenge.    We find ourselves some days so pressed to get everything done that needs done that we rush into the day and pass over a time in the Word of God.

Why is it that when something needs to be dropped from our schedules that oftimes and most oftimes it is the spiritual things.      If a child cannot get their schooling completed going to church for a service is dropped so that the child can get school work done.    Or, if something needs done around the house forget church, that's time we need to get things done.

The Spiritual things are seemingly always the first to go.    These spiritual things are carved from the schedule like a governmental budget cut.    The spiritual activity will always be on the cutting edge of the axe.

Notice in the passage that there were those who worked hard to set up the altar and then when they got it set up they made it a constant routine to utilize it's function.

May we as Children of God utilize the Bible in daily devotions seeking God for Guidance, Direction, and Sustenance.

Omitting the Bible out of our schedules is never a good practice and it always leads to a wasted and unproductive day.

As the People of God did in the passage considered,  that we would set up the altar daily in our lives and utilize it both in the Morning and in the Evening before bed time.

JOYFUL BLESSINGS BY THE SCRIPTURES

PASTOR SCHALK

apastorpreacher@yahoo.com