Live as a Doxology

We've got a little Q&A catching up to do! (My fault. . . :0)

Here's the question and answer from Saturday:
Who did the people wonder, in their hearts, might be the Christ? (Luke 3)
Luke 3:15 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.

And here's the question and answer from Sunday:
Why did the people celebrate with joy (for seven days) the Passover? (Ezra 6)
Ezra 6:22 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

Here's today's question:
What nation is Ezra from? What did the king grant to him and why? (Ezra 7)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Ezra is a pretty incredible person. Ezra's job was simply to study the Torah. That was his sole purpose in life: to study the Torah and to teach it to others.

But besides just learning Torah, he was supposed to LIVE it. He was supposed to BE Torah. And he was. He had experienced firsthand God's steadfast love through his interaction with the Persian Empire. He couldn't keep those experiences of God's protection to himself. He needed to share his experiences with others. He needed to share the Torah with others and encourage them to study it--and live it--as well.

That's what witnessing is all about. It doesn't have to be about a big show or a dramatic story--although, sometimes those things are involved. It's simply having a conversation about what God is doing in your life.

One of my favorite memories of witnessing actually involves a Presbytery meeting and the "Doxology." One of our colleagues had suffered a stroke and we were sharing in an impromptu time of prayer for her (we found ourselves miraculously ahead of schedule). It ended with an a cappella round of the "Doxology." Never has a song sent shivers through me like it did that day. We had gathered together as a group of believers, giving praise to God, acknowledging God as the author of life. (The beautiful four part harmony wasn't too bad either!!)

It was a natural thing for us to do, because we all had experiences with God's protection and steadfast love. And it was natural for Ezra to live a doxological life--a life full of praise. Not simply a life full of thanksgiving--that can put the focus too much on ourselves--but a life full of praise. Ezra was the kind of believer whose whole life was marked by encouraging and strengthening others as he gave glory to God.

How can you live as a doxology today?
Allison