This is Pastor Daniel Stevenson at Southside Life Station in United
Socialist Baptist Church and you're receiving this message because you opted
in to be encouraged. I'm thinking today of Ezra 4 verses 1-2. Now when the
enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a
temple to the Lord God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of
fathers, households, and said to them, let us build with you for we like you seek
your God and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esra'had and King
of Assyria who brought us up here. The real answer to what to do here is in the
phrase, the enemies of Judah and Benjamin. The bottom line is you cannot let
people build what you are supposed to be building for the Lord. You're supposed to
be honest and strong and true, giving and serving and worshiping God and praising
him and praying to him and studying your Bible and all the things that God would
have us to do as Christians and no one else can do that for you. You have to do
it because it's the right thing to do for the Lord. If the enemies step in and
they take over doing what we're doing, then what happens when they stop? And they
will because they aren't followers of God. They don't love the Lord. They don't
have that faithfulness to continue doing what it is that we're supposed to be
doing. I'm thinking of donors and finances that we struggle with at the
Life Station. We have a hard time having enough money to make sure that we can
take care of all the people that we're taking care of. I wonder sometimes if it
isn't because everybody thinks well somebody else is going to do it. We're
all letting somebody else give, serve, worship and we have to stop. We have to
take on to ourselves the things that God has given us as a responsibility and
make sure that those things get done. Honor God with your choices. Live for God.
Serve God. Give. Stretch yourself. Sacrifice as necessary. Jesus certainly did and
stop letting someone else take care of what it is that we're supposed to be
taking care of. Now, I'm not saying you can't have help, especially help from
other believers. Brothers and sisters in Christ and we should work together in
community to truly honor God. We got to stop saying somebody else is going to take
care of it and take care of honoring God with all that we are ourselves. Help us
Lord in Jesus' name. Amen.