Ordinary People

We're all ordinary people, hoping that our lives will count for something in the end.
Isn't that what most of us are - ordinary people? We're not superhero's, not colorful, charismatic leaders. Just plain you and me. Isn't it true that we all really want to know that we've made a difference? That the world is maybe just a little bit different, a little bit better, because we were here?

Take Ezra for example: Here is the man for us. A true man of the word. A man with passion. A man with a heart for God. A man who walked hand in hand with God.
He made a difference in his day, as an instrument of revival, as not only a hearer but also a doer of the Word, as one who lived what he believed and taught.

In every great movement there are always great people involved. Within the ranks of those great people there also seems to be at least two types. Type "A" people would be those who are the greatest lights-people who are up front, strong hearted visionary, the leader-types - people who have what it takes to capture the big picture and to rally others around a cause.

Then there are type "B" folks who work behind the scenes-and who are just as important, just as crucial. They're often the quiet, lesser lights. They are the ones who are usually contemplative and studios. Often they are people of detail and scholarship. They never seem to get any of the public attention and applause, but they are just as important as the greater lights.
Ezra was one of those quiet "B" type personality's who served God at one of the most vulnerable periods in Jewish history.

Ezra was one who layed the constitutional foundation of the future and instituting system of the synagogue worship so closely akin to our style today. His passion for God's Word still inspires me today, particularly if it is true as some believe that he wrote Psalm (119)-the greatest of all the Psalms about the Word of God.
Some of you are called to be Ezra's of this day. You may not have a great deal of public charisma. You may not have the qualities necessary to be a person in an up-front type of ministry. But don't misunderstand your role. Don't belittle what you can do-and don't be discouraged. The Ezra's of our day are absolutely essential!

Remember that God often works through the unbelievers to accomplish His Will. He is God, and He can use whomever He wants to use whenever He wants to use them!
And yes my dear fellow brothers and sisters that includes you!

Reverend William Bowers