Has God Moved Your Heart?

Ezra 1:5, NIV
Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites – everyone whose heart God had moved – prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

If you are gathering a group of people to share in a task together, what sort of people do you want on your team? Would you like to have people who didn’t want to be there, but who were helping you out of a sense of duty? How about people who didn’t really agree with what you were doing? How about those who were full of pride and were always wanting to do their own thing, instead of what was needed to be done?

How about those who would say ‘Yes’ to your face, but then go off and have a quiet sleep somewhere? And would you like to have people who talked about you behind your back, always trying to undermine your leadership? I’m sure you could think of a few other categories of folk that it would not be good to have on your team!

The job in hand was the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. God only wanted people on Ezra’s team who really wanted to be there – and not because Ezra had asked them to join the team, but because God had already spoken into their hearts, and they wanted to be there because this was their place of calling in Him.

I’d rather have a team of unskilled people who are willing to learn, but whose hearts are totally right towards God, than a team of experienced and skilled folk who didn’t want to be there. Isn’t it interesting that when Jesus was selecting the disciples, who would form the foundational team for the Church, he didn’t select anyone who had prior skills at teaching, leading prayer meetings or any of the other things that church leaders might do. He chose those whose hearts God had moved to respond to the call, ‘Come, follow me.’

If God has called you to something, and you really know it’s God, then go and do it with all your might. And if you are a leader always look for those whose hearts God has moved, to join you in the task – they are the ones who will faithfully give their all for the sake of the Kingdom.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the privilege of sharing with you in the work of the Kingdom of God. Help me always to do those things that you have called me to do, with all my heart and all my strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Living the Life – Book by Peter Horrobin

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