What do people see when they look at you?

Ezra 7:10 (LB) This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel.

Ezra's hearts desire was to learn God's word and then apply and obey the commands he discovered therein. Because of this desire, he had a direct effect on how God used him to lead the 2nd group of exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra made a personal commitment to serve God "today" even before knowing what God would request of him.

A skilled scribe (Ezra 7:6), Ezra taught the Jews of his day through speaking and by the way his lived his life (obedient to God's word). I want to influence the people around me just like Ezra influenced the people of his day. To follow his example, I need to make sure I am:

• Learning the Word of God, obeying and applying it to my daily life,
• and teach others to do the same not only by what I say...but by the way I live my life (the things I do).

Even if you don't have a desire to be a bible teacher, the way you live your life is influencing someone. People are always watching the way you live your life. So the question becomes, how are you choosing to walk out your Christian faith? Are you getting into God's word, learning what it says and then changing your life so that it aligns with the commands therein? Or, are you reading the word and choosing to remain unchanged?

 

Related reading: Mark 4:1-20 (The parable of the sower)