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Day 124, or May the 4th. When you grow, it's infectious. Our thought today is rooted in

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Ezra chapter 7 verse 10. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the

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law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse. In chapter 7 Ezra finally gets his first mention

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in the book that bears his name. After the relatively large return to the Promised Land

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under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra brings back a smaller group of less than two thousand.

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His aim is to rebuild the people into God's holy people now that the temple has been rebuilt.

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As a priest he is uniquely equipped to organize the temple and revitalize the people. He does

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a great job with the temple, and also encourages the people to clean up their lives with God's

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help.

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And now our action step for today. The order of events which sum up Ezra's ambitions

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as he leads people back into the Promised Land is critical. The Bible tells us that

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he has devoted himself to the study of the word. Then he has resolved to put what he

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has learned into action in his daily life. Finally, it's his aim to teach what he has

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learned and put it into practice so that others may follow God according to his word. These

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are great aspirations, and who will benefit the most? Ezra and all the people who follow

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his example. There are no losers. Studying the word can make you a better Bible scholar,

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but unless it changes your life you will be a dry better Bible scholar. Putting into practice

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what you learn will gradually make you more like Jesus. Which sounds the best to you?

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Are you going to follow Ezra's example? Actually you have already reached the halfway

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mark of the Old Testament. Well done. Don't stop now because God has so much more to say

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to you, and you have so much more to learn and incorporate into your life. Then those

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around you will have so much more to learn from you. When it comes to studying the Bible,

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it's true that everyone wins.