Skilled

Preparation
How does one prepare to impact their culture?  One of the things that I have heard people say over and over is that they want their lives to have an impact.  So how does one prepare oneself to have an impact?

Ezra’s Story
Read through Ezra 7.  Note as you read the phrases that are repeated.  What I saw:

Ezra’s Grasp of the Word
7:6 – …skilled in the law of Moses…
7:11 – …learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord…
7:14 – …the Law of your God which is in your hand…
7:25 – …the wisdom of your God which is in your hand…
God’s grasp of Ezra
7:6 – …the hand of the Lord his God was upon him…
7:9 – …the good hand of his God was upon him…
7:28 – …the hand of the Lord my God upon me…

Impact
Ezra won the heart of a pagan king to the point that he financed Ezra’s mission to rebuild the temple.  Why?  Was it because of Ezra’s great gifts as a leader, his training as a negotiator, his business acumen, his construction management skills?  No.

Focus
The key to Ezra’s impact is in Ezra 7:10.  He was single minded.  He set his heart on one thing.  He set his heart to master the law of God.  His mastery was practical.  He did not just study for head knowledge.  He applied, practiced what he saw in the law.  Because of that he won the heart and support of a pagan king.  He was a captive in exile.  He had no standing other than his heart set knowledge of his God’s law.  That changed his environment.

It forces us who wish to impact our culture to ask,

“On what have we set our hearts?”