[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 11

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 11

WORD OF WISDOM

An undertaker is probably one of the best friends you will ever have because
he will be the last person to let you down.

___

DAILY DEVOTION

What Satan Wants


Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

The devil has a goal and purpose behind everything he does. From the
beginning, Satan has been trying to assume God's rightful place as the ruler
and object of worship in the universe. It was not by accident that the final
temptation Satan presented to Jesus revolved around the Lord worshipping
Satan rather than the reverse. "Again, the devil taketh him up into an
exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and
the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if
thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:8-9).
During the Tribulation, Satan will redouble his efforts, sending the
Antichrist to attract people away from God. And it will work. However, he is
not waiting for that day. Satan is actively working right now to draw people
away from God and toward him. There is coming a day when Satan will be
finally and completely defeated. Until that day comes, we must respond the
same way the Lord did. "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:
for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt
thou serve" (Matthew 4:10).
Only God is worthy of worship and praise. Only God deserves our
whole-hearted love and service. Anything that we place in His rightful
position on the throne of our hearts, minds, and lives is a victory for
Satan. Anything that comes before Him is an idol we worship. Anything that
comes before Him must be cast down, for God alone deserves to rule and
reign.
Keep God on the throne of your life, and you will frustrate Satan's schemes.

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Ezra 1-3 New King James Version
End of the Babylonian Captivity
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord
by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit
of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:

All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He
has commanded me to build Him a [a]house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3
Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go
up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of
Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any
place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and
gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house
of God which is in Jerusalem.

5 Then the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the
priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God [b]had moved, arose to
go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those
who were around them [c]encouraged them with articles of silver and gold,
with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was
willingly offered.

7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which
Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the [d]temple of his
gods; 8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath
the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9
This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver
platters, twenty-nine knives, 10 thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten
silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles. 11 All the
articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these
Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to
Jerusalem.

The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem
2 Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity,
of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah,
everyone to his own city.

2 Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, [e]Seraiah,
[f]Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, [g]Mispar, Bigvai, [h]Rehum, and Baanah. The
number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the people of Parosh, two
thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 4 the people of Shephatiah, three
hundred and seventy-two; 5 the people of Arah, seven hundred and
seventy-five; 6 the people of Pahath-Moab, of the people of Jeshua and Joab,
two thousand eight hundred and twelve; 7 the people of Elam, one thousand
two hundred and fifty-four; 8 the people of Zattu, nine hundred and
forty-five; 9 the people of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; 10 the people
of [i]Bani, six hundred and forty-two; 11 the people of Bebai, six hundred
and twenty-three; 12 the people of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and
twenty-two; 13 the people of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six; 14 the
people of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six; 15 the people of Adin, four
hundred and fifty-four; 16 the people of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 17
the people of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three; 18 the people of
[j]Jorah, one hundred and twelve; 19 the people of Hashum, two hundred and
twenty-three; 20 the people of [k]Gibbar, ninety-five; 21 the people of
Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three; 22 the men of Netophah, fifty-six;
23 the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; 24 the people of
[l]Azmaveth, forty-two; 25 the people of [m]Kirjath Arim, Chephirah, and
Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; 26 the people of Ramah and Geba, six
hundred and twenty-one; 27 the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two;
28 the men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three; 29 the people of
Nebo, fifty-two; 30 the people of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six; 31 the
people of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32 the
people of Harim, three hundred and twenty; 33 the people of Lod, Hadid, and
Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; 34 the people of Jericho, three hundred
and forty-five; 35 the people of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and
thirty.

36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred
and seventy-three; 37 the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; 38 the
sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39 the sons of
Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of [n]Hodaviah,
seventy-four.

41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.

42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the
sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of
Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.

43 The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of
Tabbaoth, 44 the sons of Keros, the sons of [o]Siaha, the sons of Padon, 45
the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46 the sons of
Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, 47 the sons of Giddel, the
sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, 48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,
the sons of Gazzam, 49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of
Besai, 50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of [p]Nephusim, 51
the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52 the sons of
[q]Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53 the sons of Barkos,
the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, 54 the sons of Neziah, and the sons
of Hatipha.

55 The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth,
the sons of [r]Peruda, 56 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of
Giddel, 57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth
of Zebaim, and the sons of [s]Ami. 58 All the Nethinim and the children of
Solomon's servants were three hundred and ninety-two.

59 And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub,
[t]Addan, and Immer; but they could not [u]identify their father's house or
their [v]genealogy, whether they were of Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the
sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two; 61 and of
the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of [w]Koz, and the
sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the
Gileadite, and was called by their name. 62 These sought their listing among
those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore
they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled. 63 And the [x]governor
said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest
could consult with the Urim and Thummim.

64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and
sixty, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven
thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and
women singers. 66 Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their
mules two hundred and forty-five, 67 their camels four hundred and
thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

68 Some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when they came to the house of
the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to
erect it in its place: 69 According to their ability, they gave to the
treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand minas
of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.

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

Worship Restored at Jerusalem
3 And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in
the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then
[y]Jeshua the son of Jozadak[z] and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel
the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God
of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of
Moses the man of God. 3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people
of those countries, they set the altar on its [aa]bases; and they offered
burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt
offerings. 4 They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and
offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for
each day. 5 Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those
for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were
consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering
to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer
burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the
Lord had not been laid. 7 They also gave money to the masons and the
carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to
bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the
permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Restoration of the Temple Begins
8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of
God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of
[ab]Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and
all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and
appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of
the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel
with his sons, and the sons of [ac]Judah, arose as one to oversee those
working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their
brethren the Levites.

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the[ad]
priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of
Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance[ae] of
David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving
thanks to the Lord:

"For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel."

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord,
because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers' houses, old
men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the
foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud
for joy, 13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of
joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with
a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.

Footnotes
Ezra 1:2 Temple
Ezra 1:5 stirred up
Ezra 1:6 Lit. strengthened their hands
Ezra 1:7 Lit. house
Ezra 2:2 Azariah, Neh. 7:7
Ezra 2:2 Raamiah, Neh. 7:7
Ezra 2:2 Mispereth, Neh. 7:7
Ezra 2:2 Nehum, Neh. 7:7
Ezra 2:10 Binnui, Neh. 7:15
Ezra 2:18 Hariph, Neh. 7:24
Ezra 2:20 Gibeon, Neh. 7:25
Ezra 2:24 Beth Azmaveth, Neh. 7:28
Ezra 2:25 Kirjath Jearim, Neh. 7:29
Ezra 2:40 Judah, Ezra 3:9, or Hodevah, Neh. 7:43
Ezra 2:44 Sia, Neh. 7:47
Ezra 2:50 Nephishesim, Neh. 7:52
Ezra 2:52 Bazlith, Neh. 7:54
Ezra 2:55 Perida, Neh. 7:57
Ezra 2:57 Amon, Neh. 7:59
Ezra 2:59 Or Addon, Neh. 7:61
Ezra 2:59 Lit. tell
Ezra 2:59 Lit. seed
Ezra 2:61 Or Hakkoz
Ezra 2:63 Heb. Tirshatha
Ezra 3:2 Or Joshua
Ezra 3:2 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
Ezra 3:3 foundations
Ezra 3:8 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
Ezra 3:9 Hodaviah, Ezra 2:40
Ezra 3:10 So with LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT they stationed the priests
Ezra 3:10 Lit. hands