What steps can we take to prioritize worship as described in Ezra 3:5? Rebuilding the Altar First • In Ezra 3:5, the people could not even start temple walls before “the regular burnt offerings” began. • Prioritize worship by placing it at the top of every schedule, decision, and budget line—before any other project. • Daily Bible reading and morning praise function like Israel’s continual burnt offering—an unbroken flame (cf. Exodus 29:38-42). Establishing Consistent Rhythms • Ezra notes “the regular burnt offerings.” Regularity breeds devotion. • Fix set times for family and congregational worship just as firmly as work hours. • Hebrews 10:25 reminds: “Let us not neglect meeting together…”. Honoring God’s Calendar • The verse lists “offerings for the New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the LORD.” • Mark the Christian calendar—Lord’s Day, communion, Resurrection Sunday, Pentecost, Advent—so life rotates around God’s story, not cultural events. • Remembering dates cultivates anticipation and keeps worship fresh (Deuteronomy 16:16). Bringing Freewill Offerings of the Heart • Ezra 3:5 ends with “freewill offerings brought to the LORD.” Not everything was commanded; some was overflow. • Set aside spontaneous moments—extra songs, private fasting, unexpected acts of generosity. • 1 Corinthians 16:2 models intentional giving: “On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a portion…” Rejoicing in Community • All these offerings were public; Israel gathered as one. • Worship flourishes when shared meals, testimonies, and singing mingle lives together (Colossians 3:16). • Isolation shrinks praise; fellowship multiplies it. Living Sacrificially Every Day • Regular and feast offerings remind us worship costs something—time, livestock, grain. • Romans 12:1 calls believers to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices… your spiritual service of worship.” • Evaluate calendars, careers, and hobbies—surrender anything that hinders wholehearted devotion. Guarding Worship against Distraction • The returned exiles faced surrounding hostility, yet worship did not pause (Ezra 3:3-6). • Silence competing voices—phones, media, crowded obligations—so God’s voice rises first and last. • Psalm 96:8 urges, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and enter His courts.” When these steps mirror Ezra 3:5—altar first, rhythms fixed, calendar consecrated, generosity flowing, community vibrant, lives surrendered, distractions dismissed—worship regains its rightful, central place. |
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