According to ability

According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.                                Ezra 2.69

The exiles have returned to Jerusalem from Babylon and they are making their offerings at the house of the Lord. This historical and practical statement is something of a precursory indicator for the believer on their journey of salvation and sanctification.

We are called to God’s temple. He draws us out of Babylon unto Himself. Here begins a work of rebuilding and of re-creation. And here we offer ourselves fully to Him. Just as the returning exiles, we are called to give “according to our ability”, and we should not hold back in this glorious venture – and adventure!

God gave Himself for me. Am I willing to give myself to Him? I hope so. I’m sometimes unsure of just what ability I have. I question my ability. I think a better course of action would be to surrender my ability, along with all of myself, to Him and allow Him to have His way, fully and freely, in me and with me. I see this as moving me to undertake whatever comes before me.

My confidence is to be in Him, and not in me. If I see every opening as God-given (and, I believe, He has shown me this), then I need not question whether or not I am able. I simply need to move ahead in the knowledge that nothing is impossible to Him.

Lord God, Precious Saviour,

As the exiles returned to Jerusalem, so I come to You. I offer You my all. I am Yours! I seek not to please or satisfy myself, but You.

My heart cry is to honour You in all that I am and everything that I do. I surrender my abilities to You and ask You to enable me, by Your divine will and power, to carry through on all that You ask and require of me.

I believe that every opening comes from You. I commit to follow through on those I sense within myself to be true openings and I ask You to firmly block off any apparent opening if it is not of You.

I ask these things in Jesus’ name.                       Amen.

My book “God Talk” is available through major Internet booksellers.

A taste of the book's content can be seen in the You Tube clip (Search: Peter Francis - "God Talk").