“Day Six”
10/06/2018 Elder Udell Ward, Jr.
“Father God, cause the Ministers to be trusted with the “Temple’s Treasury”
(Ezra 8:24-30)
Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I come before You today with thanksgiving and praise for all that You have done for me. You have caused me to realize that I can’t live my life without You. Any success in my life is because of You, and the times that I failed You still showed me mercy and grace. Because of You, I have never experienced a lack of any good thing. Even during my struggles, You gave me exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. You are a God that has supplied my every need. I have been down, but because of You, I have never been knocked out. You have caused me to see that I have no other choice but to trust You in every aspect of my life. There is no other god that can do for me the things that You continually do, and for all that You have ever done or will do, I am forever grateful. I acknowledge today and forever that You are the Only Living God worthy of all praise and glory. All power belongs to You. All praise belongs to You.
Father God, I ask that You forgive me of every sin and iniquity, of every trespass and transgression. I ask that You continually purge me of the things that are unlike You. Remove from me every impure attribute that has caused me to lose focus on You. I acknowledge that I have sinned before You and ask Your Forgiveness. Father, I so not want Your Mercy or Grace to end for me. Without You I would certainly be a man most miserable. I ask that You renew my mind, renew my heart, and cause me to walk perfectly in the Holiness that You prescribed for me. Forgive me for becoming distracted. Forgive me for wavering. Forgive me for being broken. Make me whole again. Cleanse me with Your Blood and make my garments white again. Cleanse me with Your Blood and cause my light to shine brightly again. Cleanse me and make me to be a vessel of honor to be used for Your Will and Purpose. I will forever be grateful.
Ezra 8:24-30 24Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, 25And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered: 26I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents; 27Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. 28And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers. 29Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. 30So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.
Father God, during my lifetime, You have allowed me to work in positions of authority. In the eyes of the world, I did not qualify for many of the positions, or was not the number one choice, but You saw something different about me. You gave me every promotion that I ever received, and those promotions came quickly. As I have worked in this world, I was trusted to manage or supervise people, money, and worked performed by others. You have placed me in positions where my superiors have relied on my judgement, my discretion, and my ability to insure that the work performed is in the best interest of the organization. You have allowed me to work in positions where I have been accountable for my decisions, whether good or bad. I am thankful for every opportunity You afforded me during my lifetime.
Father God, today I ask that You cause the Ministers to be trusted with the “Temple’s Treasury.” I understand by Merriam-Webster that trust as a noun is: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something one in which confidence is placed. I also understand that trust as a verb is: to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of: believe: to place confidence in: rely on: to hope or expect confidently: to commit or place in one's care or keeping: entrust: to permit to stay or go or to do something without fear or misgiving. Father, we know that the temple’s treasuries are very important to the continued successful operation of the Temple and the Kingdom. I am thankful for the treasury staff that is currently in place.
Father God, I ask that You place a higher standard in the hearts of the ministers to do right by the Temple and the Kingdom. I ask that You remove the temptations of the temple’s treasuries. As so many are easily tempted by money, I ask that You remove the love of money from the hearts of the ministers. I also ask that You remove the greed and lusts that can be driven by the ungodly desire to possess money. Cause the ministers to see money as another tool necessary for the operation of the temple. I understand by Your Word that money is a defense” and that “money answereth all things”. I also understand by Your Word that all the silver and gold of this world is Yours, and that You provide for Your people who are called by Your Name. Father, I ask that You cause the ministers to work for the Temple and the Kingdom as we work for world systems. I ask that You cause the ministers to be trusted with the Temple’s treasuries and some of us are trusted in our positions of authority. Cause the ministers to trust in You to provide for every need, and not be tempted by the treasuries of the Temple. Especially sanctify those ministers who work with the Temple’s treasuries. Grant those ministers a greater measure of discernment to recognize others who may have a desire against the treasuries of the Temple. Also, cause those ministers to be especially watchful over the treasuries. Father, I thank You for removing the thieves from the Temple. I also thank You for restoring the treasuries that were stolen.
I ask all these things in the Name of Jesus. Amen.