Read devotions written by Hope pastors and staff every weekday that align with our daily Bible readings! We hope you use these devotions as a way to dig deeper into Scripture during the weekdays and join us for worship on the weekends to continue growing in your faith. You may download and print our daily Bible readings checklist to track your progress as you read through the Bible.
As we pick up today’s reading, all we know for sure is that the work of rebuilding the temple has been put on temporary pause. The Israelites who returned from exile in Babylon have been going about their daily lives, while work to rebuild the temple was forbidden under Artaxerxes. The end of Chapter 4… Read more
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Ezra 3:11 Have you ever built something before? Ever built something specifically for Jesus? In our Bible passage today, the people of God (the Israelites who had recently returned from their exile in Babylon) gathered in Jerusalem… Read more
When I was in college, I remember the excitement of returning to my family home whenever I could. For many of us today, “home” maybe isn’t where we live but where our family history can be found. Perhaps it’s where you grew up or a place where family members immigrated from. A good majority of… Read more
These passages are during what I call the good king/bad king era of God’s people. Israel would have a good king who would lead not perfectly, but faithfully, and God’s favor would be on the land. Then the successor would revert to honoring the “small g” pagan gods and surprisingly it would not go well. Read more
