1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com. 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: You're listening to daily devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stangey, 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: and today's devotion is inspired by Ezra chapter nine, verse six, 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: which says, Oh, my God, I am ashamed and blushed 6 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: to lift my voice to you, my God, for our 7 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt 8 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: has mounted up to the heavens. Ezra states that sin 9 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: makes him blush and feel shame. He speaks of our 10 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: iniquities and our guilt. He recalls the patterns he has 11 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: seen of his people's history, a history of rebelling against 12 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: God over and over again, and he lays this all 13 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: before the Lord. While this is certainly painful to read, 14 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: it's also a powerful reminder that we, as members of 15 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,960 Speaker 1: the Body of Christ, would do well to heed. It's 16 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: easy to feel overly individualistic at times, but the truth 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,639 Speaker 1: is we're all part of one body. If we believe 18 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: in Christ, we have been united together as family. That 19 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: means if you're struggling, it matters to me. If I'm struggling, 20 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: it matters to you. If one of us goes in 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: a direction that dishonors the name of Christ. We can't 22 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: just remove ourselves from caring. We rejoice and we grieve 23 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: together as a family in life. Because of both our 24 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: pride and shame, it can be very tempting for us 25 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: to try to hold onto our feelings of guilt instead 26 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: of confessing them to the Lord or to others. But 27 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: the Lord doesn't want us to go through life that way. 28 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: He invites us to confess our sin so that we 29 00:01:55,240 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: may live untethered to sin's power. Guilt do their best 30 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: work in secret, but they are no match for the 31 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: light of Christ. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for 32 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: your word, and we thank you for the privilege that 33 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: it is to be able to look at this portion 34 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: of scripture today from the Book of Ezra and to 35 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: consider the things that you're revealing to us in it. Lord, 36 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: we know that at times we invite things into our 37 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: lives that are very unhealthy and very unwise, and just 38 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: as the people of Ezra's day did, we rebel against 39 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,079 Speaker 1: you as well. We know what you want from us 40 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: in most instances, and yet sometimes we choose to do 41 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: the exact opposite. And then in our shame. We try 42 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: and hide that sin, and we try to hold onto it, 43 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: and we try to protect it and maybe even nurture it. 44 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: But there's no freedom in that. That's not what you've 45 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:53,919 Speaker 1: called us to do. You didn't save us through your son, 46 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, just so we could go right back to 47 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: the sin we were freed from. And here we look 48 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: at the words of Ezra and can see him making 49 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: a confession to you on behalf of all the people 50 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:10,519 Speaker 1: of his community and nation. Lord, there's a wonderful example 51 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: for us in this. You want us to be people 52 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: who confess our sin. You invite us to confess to you. 53 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: You also invite us to confess to one another. And 54 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: as we bring that out into the light, the things 55 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: that have had power over us lose their power. They 56 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: lose their power when they're exposed. But it can be 57 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 1: so difficult for us to be willing to take that step, 58 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,279 Speaker 1: because we're proud, and we're easily ashamed, and we're easily embarrassed, 59 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: and sometimes we mistakenly think that our worth is found 60 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: and going through life perfectly without making any mistakes. Father, 61 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: We're grateful for the new life that we have through 62 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: your son We thank you for the grace and forgiveness 63 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: that we've received, and we pray that we would come 64 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: before you and we would confess our sin and confess 65 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: our sins to one another as brother and sisters in Christ, 66 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: so that we can move on from those things and 67 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: no longer give them power over us. Again, Father, we 68 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: thank you for this reminder from your word, and we 69 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.