Making The Most of Everyday

Good morning, it is so good to be back in our sanctuary especially since we are back in here in time to honor our graduates. I think I speak for everyone when I say how proud we are of you for making it, and now you are free.

There was a day when I was in High School when we were shocked and our whole world changed it would never be the same again, because of savages who in a cowardly act killed over 3,000 of our citizens and friends from around the world. Now the world you enter into is different, and there will be unique challenges that you face as a result of that day.

It reminds me of a comment that i heard my pastor say years ago, he said there are two great days in everybody’s life. The first is the day we are born, and the second is the day we realize why.

George W Bush was born in July of 1946, but he realized why September 11, 2001. Each one of you have a birthday, its a physical date you can celebrate it every year, and each year as you get older you realize the grace of God has been at work in your life.

One day you will get older and some us are getting there or have gotten there where we look back on our lives and stand in disbelief that God has brought us this far and when we look at all of our blessings, it’s amazing to see what God does for us each and everyday.

But I am here to tell you the most important day for you is still coming. That is the day when you will realize WHY you were born.

David was born to lead Israel as its greatest king. They still have the flag that represents the sign of david, they still call the city the city of David. It’s why he was born.

Mozart, Bach, Beetoven we can tell you when they were born but they were born to create beautiful masterpieces that will be studied forever.

Michelangelo was born to sculpt and to paint, Henry Ford born to develop the whole idea of a motorized vehicle that would be built and duplicated over and over again.

You too were born but many of you don’t realize why, it’s not a criticism, it’s a fact. You haven’t found out why you have been brought on to this Earth. You will be amazed when you find out why.

Were going to look into a life that was not only brought on to this Earth by parents who named him help, whose name was Ezra but he was brought to be a part of one of the most signifigant events of that time and maybe in all the ancient days of Israel.

Ezra he shows up in the 7th chapter of the book that has his name as a title. The book of Ezra, so turn with me to Ezra chapter 7. When he bursts onto the scene we read there was a man named Ezra

Ezra 7:1 NASB95

Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,

It isn’t long before we read that he was a scribe that’s part of the reason why he was born.

Ezra 7:6 NASB95

This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.

Verse 12 tells us he was a priest, so scribe a man of words and smarts, and he had skills to become a priest.

Ezra

Ezra 7:12 HCSB

Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

Our calling is part of what motivates us to do what we do from one year to the next. Every single teacher who is in this room today feels a calling on their life to build into your life. Every parent represented here today has felt a calling to raise you the right way, and has tried their very best.

Ezra’s calling was to be a priest, he was a man of the word and worship and when the king sends him on his way back home. The king says to Ezra that he is to help manage the people and give them order and direction for thier lives.

So he has a threefold purpose