#soap # Ezra 10 ## Title: Get Tough ## Scripture: (Ezra 10:4) “Get up, for this matter concerns you. We are with you, so be strong and act decisively!”” (NET) ## Observation: I was listening to an old football coach once tell a story of a player who was constantly getting injured. The challenge was the player was only getting minor injuries, but treated them as major injuries. One day, the coach challenged this player to “get tough.” He said it worked. The young man started realizing he could play through the minor issues that were simply part of a full contact sport. One day, the coach found out the young man played the entire game with a broken wrist. When he asked the young man why he didn’t get immediate medical attention, he said, “I got tough. I didn’t want to let my teammates down so I found a way to do my part without injuring my wrist further. Now that the game is over, I’m here for medical attention.” Wow. While the coach was not happy to see the young man had taken his advice to an extreme place, he was amazed at how tough this young man had become. In our lives, we will deal with pain. It’s part of living in a fallen world. One of the theodicies (explanations of how a good God can allow evil) concerning the problem of evil is called “soul making.” This argument says that God uses pain and evil for our benefit because there are some things we cannot develop unless we have sandpaper applied. Ezra had a tough job ahead of him, but the things he had already been through likely helped prepare him for the job. Don’t look at your past as something to be ashamed of but preparation for everything that comes in the future. ## Application: Get tough. Stand firm in adversity and watch how God has prepared you to be stronger than you realize. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for knowing what’s coming and always preparing us beforehand.