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One Year Bible: Day 354 - Ezra 10:1-44; Revelation 14:14-15:8; Psalm 146:1-10

God's people are to belong to Him alone. Influences which are foreign to the Gospel of Christ, alien to the Word of God, are to be excluded from our lives so that we might be, more truly and more fully, the people of God. This is the message of Ezra 10, as it emphasizes the sinfulness of God's people intermarrying with those who worship false gods. From our lives as well as our lips, there is to be the song of praise, found in Revelation 15:3-4. It is a song of praise which gives God His rightful place in our lives. We acknowledge Him as the holy God, the God of righteousness. We affirm that His ways are just and true. We submit to Him - "Who would not fear You, O Lord." We seek His glory - "and bring glory to Your Name?" (Revelation 15:4). This commitment to singing the praise of the Lord involves the whole of our life - "I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live" (Psalm 146:20. This lifelong commitment is not to be fulfilled in our own strength. We need the strength of the Lord. "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Israel" (Psalm 146:5).

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