Ezra 8:15
“Now I assembled them at the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days; and when I paid close attention to the people and the priests, I did not find any Levites there.”
Ezra is ready to lead a group of people from Babylon back to Jerusalem. He notices there are no Levites there. That’s a problem. They were necessary for the healthy functioning of the spiritual life of the people. The reason they were in Babylon is because the people neglected their faith. Years of warning from the prophets didn’t change them. God taught them a lesson by exiling them for 70 years to Babylon.
Ezra was safeguarding the people by ensuring Levites were there to instill good teaching and a vibrant system of sacrifices were present. He was the leader and He took this as his responsibility.
God wants us to nurture our faith and that of those around us. We are the shepherd of our home. We are to bring them to church and to model a strong devotional life. When our girls were young I would say a prayer over them at bed time. I had a prayer typed out on a card. Mom or I would say that over them nightly. We would pray at meals or whenever an issue came up. They would go to sunday school and then small group as they got older. We raised them in the faith. Now they are adults and both practice their faith in their own way. We pray for them and pray they marry christian men and duplicate the faith in their lives.
We have those friends and acquaintances in our lives that we speak into. We share Christ with those that cross our paths. We attempt to be the Ezra to them. Spread faith and seek to establish God’s kingdom where ever we go.
This is God’s will. “They kingdom come, Thy will be done”. He does this with all His children all over the world. His kingdom is spreading. It’s the job of churches and individuals. What an honor to be a part of this.
Lord, help us to be spiritual fathers and mothers who are a blessing to those around us.