The
prophet Ezra wrote this a few years before Nehemiah began repairing the walls
of Jerusalem. But now for a brief moment,
the Lord our God has been gracious in
leaving us a remnant and giving us a
firm place in His sanctuary, and so
our God gives light to our eyes and
a little relief in our bondage( Ezra
9:8). While the concept of a
‘remnant’ is primarily used in regard to Jews returning from exile, there is a
thread of the remnant throughout scripture. The ‘remnant’ is defined as that
which remains after the last cutting, such as a patch of cloth left after
most has been cut away. In scripture it
is a people in the world but not of the
world. It is a people dedicated to advance God’s kingdom in the face of formidable
odds. It is a people who only live and move from a firm foundation that is
unshakable because the world is shaking. It is a people who have embraced a ‘firm
place’ in the spirit realm that makes them immovable within the
Kingdom.
The
prophet Ezra knew that it was the grace
of God that gave them a firm place to restore and occupy their land.
The
firm place under the new covenant is
the place of grace; the place with
Jesus as the cornerstone and the prophets and apostles completing the foundation. Grace, understood and lived at a deeper
level, is pre-requisite to the remnant living fully and occupying completely
the land. They live expectantly and actively for the Kingdom. They prefer
heaven to earth, but know they occupy earth to advance the Kingdom.
The
Apostle Paul spoke of a remnant saying ‘so
too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace,
then it is no longer by works.’ (Romans 11:5, 6) Those of the remnant are not of the
remnant because of their great works. They embrace God’s great grace to which
they have submitted and by which they are being transformed. They have a firm
sense of purpose, passion and
perspective focused on the Kingdom of God.
Ezra
recognized the remnant as different among
his people. He said the remnant were ‘everyone
whose heart God had moved’ (Ezra 1:5). Today the remnant differ from the mainstream
of culture and from the mainstream of the church. The have moved from the
mainstream to the river whose streams
make glad the city of God (Ps. 46:4). You are DIFFERENT! WE are DIFFERENT! The stream in which we live
is different. To be different and advance the Kingdom of God requires a stream
of great grace to endure; great grace to extend to those who see you as
‘different’. Embrace this firm place; a
stream and a foundation. One that continually flows from city of God; the other
that is firmly fixed as the foundation of that city. Live there and you will advance His kingdom!!!
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