The Book of Esther ... Read it and Rejoice!

This week I am not going to say too much about the story in the book of Esther. You should read the entire book yourself in one sitting. You can do this in about 30 minutes. If you have time, read it again. It's a great story! An exciting plot! Interesting characters! You will be introduced to a wealthy, egotistical king who loves being surrounded by beautiful woman; a queen who loses her position because she doesn't show up to one of the king's parties; a beautiful young Jewish girl named Esther who later becomes queen; a wise (older) cousin named Mordecai who raised Esther like his own daughter and suggests that Esther not tell anyone that she is Jewish; a character named Haman, who you learn to despise because of his evil plots to kill Mordecai and all the Jews and of course God, whose name is actually never mentioned in the story but you can see Him working behind the scenes in every scene / act of the story.


You will cheer when you see how the tables turn and the good guys win and the bad guys get what they deserve.  You will also learn about an important fast which will drive you to consider fasting when your life depends on it.  You will also be introduced to Purim, a feast or holiday that the Jewish people still hold in the middle of March celebrating their deliverance and salvation. Aside: This would be a great holiday for us as believers and followers of Jesus to consider celebrating at least once a year because of what Jesus has done for us when we were saved.  Something fun to do in March (usually)!

I was personally interested in learning more about Purim.    When doing an Internet search, I found a great site worth looking called Judaism 101 which is actually written by a devout Jew "lay person" but it is a site that is well used and respected by rabbis.  It is written in an easy to read style (which I like) and full of very interesting "stuff".  It doesn't hurt to learn more about our spiritual heritage ... since Jesus was a practicing Jew.  The site provides an excellent overview of the story in Esther, an understanding of Purim and a recipe for making a desert called  Hamentaschen - "Haman's Pockets".  They look yummy - could be a new Tim's product! To all my friends who like desert ... let me know if you make some Haman's Pockets.


Thank you Heavenly Father for always being there and working on our behalf and looking after us even though we can't see You. Forgive us for when we fail to seek You and Your kingdom first. Thank you Father for giving us all these true stories in your Word which encourage us and increase our faith and help us to live by faith and to see what You have done and are doing in our lives.  Thank you Son of God, Jesus, for paying the penalty of our sin and providing us salvation by your shed blood.  Thank you for Holy Spirit for coming into our lives, filling us, directing us, teaching us, counseling us and encouraging us.  You and your Word provide us what we need to live for you. Without You we can do nothing of value for expanding His Kingdom.  Empower us.  Anoint us for the works you have planned for us to do.  Lord thank you for the family of God, our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Thank you for your commandments and promises. Help us to obey your commandment to love You and others so that others will know that we are your disciples. We bless your Holy Name.

Here is song from my past that for some reason I have been singing often this week ...
Heavenly Father We appreciate You - Chorus

Remember.... Communion Sunday this Sunday.  Prepare!  Examine self.  Confess any sin. Be filled with the Holy Spirit! and  ... Read Esther and let the Holy Spirit speak to you pesonally.

 

       

Focus ... Don't quit!

This week many of the small groups are looking at Session 19 in The Story - The Return Home. I thought Bobby Neerholf (and the Holy Spirit) did a great job last Sunday with his message covering the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem from captivity. I do not have a lot more to say but I will try to make some points as the Holy Spirit is still dealing with me and reminding me of lessons I have learned but must relearn as I seek to serve Him.

The Israelites were pretty excited about getting to go home and rebuild the temple. Things were going a long pretty good. They were seeing results. But then words were said and stuff began to happen that discouraged them and the project slowed down. They lost their focus. They began to focus on personal things and looking after themselves rather than giving themselves to the work that God wanted them to do ... rebuild the temple.

This scenario often happens in our lives too. To be honest I enjoy starting a new project or being involved in a new ministry but over time "stuff" happens which slows you down or discourages you and your team or group and you feel like quitting or giving up. The enemy wants you to quit and give up and make you feel like a failure ... which often leads to depression. So ... don't!  Don't give up! If you do, you will never know what God might have accomplished through you. He never would have called you to the task or project if he didn't want you to complete the task and accomplish the result. Remember He is with you. Rest in Him. Remain in Him. Rely on Him. Receive your encouragement from Him. He will provide the encouragement you need through people, circumstances, His word and His Holy Spirit. There is much joy in completing whatever you have begun! Don't quit.

Ok ... I have just been preaching to myself! Maybe some of you also needed to hear that message too!

We need balance in our lives in terms of how we spend our time and money but we also need to remember to "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will given to you as well" - Matthew 6:33. This verse has been one of my key "life verses". If we put God first, he will ensure that we are looked after ... and He always has! He wants you to succeed at the work he has given you. Be strong and courageous and carry on.

And may He receive all the glory as He works through you and me by his Holy Spirit.

 

Daniel and Friends - Great Faith, Much Prayer

It has been a while since I have read the account of Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azarriah or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  I have been blessed and challenged again!

These young guys are amazing!  Because of their integrity, faithfulness, commitment to God and strong prayer life, God blesses them and places them all in very influential and powerful positions within a kingdom of a foreign land - Babylon. These young men remind me of Joseph and how God blessed his life and allowed him to find favour in whatever He did while in a foreign land.

The miracles that we see God do to protect "his kids" also standout.  Their (our) God obviously gets the attention of the king of this foreign land after seeing the miracles God does to protect and save them.  God is recognized as the God of gods.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abendengo get thrown into a fiery furnace because they wouldn't bow down and worship the 90 feet high golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar makes.  They would die if necessary but believed God would save them.  Even if He didn't save them, they would still not bow down and worship this image.  I wonder ... would I be able to respond like these young men?  Would I take such a stand for God? Would my faith be this strong? Would I be willing to die for my faith?  I'd like to be able to say "yes"!  Sure, I know I have said, like Peter, I am willing to die for my faith ... but I am also hoping I am never tested to this extent.  If ever faced with this kind of situation, I trust that I will be given enough grace to have this same kind of bold faith in God regardless of the outcome.

Daniel also takes a bold stand when later in his life, king Darius was tricked into making an edict that forced everyone to only pray to him for a 30 day period or else they would be thrown to the lions.    Daniel ignores the edict and doesn't change his practice of praying three times per day and is consequently thrown into the lion's den. Like his friends, Daniel is protected and delivered. The lions somehow  - actually we know how! - were not hungry that evening and Daniel remains alive. King Darius was overjoyed that Daniel was still alive. Darius ultimately gives a decree that everyone in his kingdom must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.  Daniel prospered  during the reign of Darius and later, the reign of Cyrus.  Wow!  God receives all the glory and was well know to everyone while Daniel lived.  

These are amazing miracles ... not unlike parting the red sea or providing manna daily for 40 years to over three million people in the desert, and more! But we know that nothing is impossible for God.

Some of us may be going through some very challenging times.  As you face your "mountain" and difficult time, continue to put your trust in the One and only God of all creation and His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that we have been given.  Trust Him.  Pray about everything.  Let Him protect you and carry you through. Remain faithful. Remain strong and courageous.  Do not fear. He is able to deliver thee! He has promised to be with you always.  We are praying for you.  Pray for those in your small group. Prayer, I believe and am learning, is the most important work we can do. God hears and answers. Be filled and stay in step with the Holy Spirit. Spend time reading His word. Pray that I do the same!  As the chorus says, "Dare to be a Daniel!"  

Happy New Year - Despite Our Circumstances

Happy New Year ... a little late!

As you know Joyce and I were away on a mission trip to Papua, Indonesia for most of the month of January. This was a great experience for us that generated several stories that we can now share with others. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!  Consequently, this blog entry is a "catch up" entry so that I can get back in sync with where we all are in The Story. We are covering ... at a very high level ...Sessions 13 to 17. The big message if you decide to not read the rest of blog is "don't do evil in the sight of the Lord by committing idolatry or there will be serious consequences if you don't turn from these wicked ways".

As followers of Jesus Christ we will experience good times and periodically we will go through some "bad" times. God uses both and especially those times that we consider difficult or hard or "bad" times.  We wish we didn't have to go through some things ... we wish that life would be easier or go more smoothly! Unfortunately, we will all probably experience some difficult times in our walk with the Lord. I have in the past and we all know others who love the Lord who are experiencing some hard times right now. This is when we need to remember God's promises such as Jeremiah 29:1 and pray for one another.

God loves you and me very much. He cares about us. He wants us to draw close to Him especially when we are going through difficult times. He has infinite grace available to pour out on us. Sometimes we get out of step with the Spirit and start doing life in our own strength. He uses various means to get our attention. If we have sinned, he wants us to simply confess our sin, repent and return to Him. He forgives. He delivers. He restores. He revives. Unfortunately, sometimes our pride gets in the way and we become stubborn and rebellious just like the Israelites and remain in our difficult state longer than we need to be.

In The Story for the last several weeks you have seen the Israelites (God's children) continuously go astray under a number of kings.  Things started to get bad when Solomon failed to follow his own advice / wisdom in some areas. Idolatry entered the kingdom and God gets pretty upset when we disobey His first commandment ... no other gods. The majority of kings after Solomon also did "evil in the sight of the Lord". Some of the kings tried to do some house cleaning ... tearing down the shrines and places of worship and sacrifice to other gods. When this occurred, God's blessing returns to His children. Unfortunately, king after king fell into the trap of "doing evil in the sight of the Lord".

Despite many prophets being sent by God to warn His children ... Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many minor prophets ... the Israelites remained stiff necked and rebellious and did not turn from their wicked ways. They went through some very difficult times. The kingdom was divided. The northern kingdom of Israel was taken over and destroyed by the Assyrians and anyone who survived was dispersed.

Years later because of the same problem of idolatry in the southern kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem is destroyed and many are taken into captivity by the Babylonians. They were warned by God through His prophets to get rid of their idols and return to God but they just wouldn't listen!

When you read these stories in the Bible, you begin to wonder ... "how could they be so dumb?!" They could have avoided problem after problem if they would have only obeyed God's basic laws. God always wanted to bless them. God is patient. He is willing to forgive us and cleanse us and ultimately use us for His glory. He wants to use our stories ... both good times and hard times ... so that others will be drawn to the Lord and enter into His kingdom where Jesus is and will be their King of kings and Lord of lords and where we will all worship the one and only true God!

God uses our difficult times so that we are "pruned" in order to be more fruitful (John 15) and to become more and more Christ-like. He wants us to draw close to Him and get to know Him more and love Him more so that we can represent Him and serve Him and share His love with others.

If times are difficult for you right now .. stay close to Him ... remain in Him ... get back to basics. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt 6:33). Spend more time in the Word. Pray without ceasing. Rejoice in the Lord. Recognize that He is in control and that all things do (and will) work together for good to those who love Him. He has plans for you! There is hope and a future! He also wants you to share your story with others.

Next week we are looking at Daniel who is a great example for all of us in our day in age and as we do our jobs, serve Him and have some influence on those around us.