Today is February 18.
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.    
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     
    
Today’s reading is from the Book of Ezra, chapter 1.    
   

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: 
  
2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 
  
“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 4 And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’” 
  
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings. 
  
7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.  
  
 

In Ezra, we see how God moves the heart of King Cyrus to fulfill His divine plan. Cyrus wasn’t an Israelite King; he was Persian. This reminds us that God can use anyone, even those who do not know Him, to accomplish His purposes. It encourages us to trust in God's sovereignty and His ability to work through unexpected people and circumstances. Consider a time in your life when God used an unlikely person or situation to bless you or guide you. How did that experience strengthen your faith? 
 
The willingness of the people to support the rebuilding of the temple with their resources is a powerful example of communal faith and generosity. It challenges us to consider how we can contribute to God's work today. It’s countercultural to give your time and money and energy to the work of building God’s kingdom. It says here, “everyone whose heart God had move” participated. As you hear the passage again, consider a time that God has moved your heart in the past, or, how do you sense him moving you now to invest in building his kingdom?  
 
Today, take a step to support God's work through your local church community. It could be serving in a ministry, or giving cheerfully, or simply offering your skills to help someone in need. Pray for guidance on how you can best use your resources to serve others and glorify God.