The Queen of Beauty and Courage
It's Your Time! Esther 4:14 Part 2
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Are Mordecai and Joel Osteen saying the same thing?
Joel Osteen is Pastor of the largest church in the nation. Maybe you watch him on TV. He’s very positive and encouraging; he preaches Good News. He’s written many books, including the one to the right.
When Morecai told Esther that it was “her time” , he was telling her that her that not only her life but also the lives of Jews nationwide were at stake. She needed to risk to everything.
So I wonder. It seems to me that the two messages are very, very different. One sounds a little bit like, “if you lose your life you will find it”, the other sounds a little bit like, “if you seek your life you will find it”. Jesus said one of those.
I have not read Osteen’s book and I suspect the title is misleading. But it makes me think. Is my life about me or is it about God and other people?
Prayer
“Lord, Jesus said that his life was all about you, not himself. Forgive me for all the ways that I’ve meshed Burger King (have it your way) with my faith which says to you, ‘have it your way’. Amen”
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Queen of Beauty and Courage
God has made you for such a day as Today
“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Esther 4:14
Today
After the return from Exile beginning in 538 BC, many Jews still remained in Persia (formerly Babylon). Among them was a pretty girl named Esther. She “won a beauty contest” became King Xerxes new Queen, was informed of a plot to exterminate all Persian Jews and called upon to thwart the plot at the risk of her own life. This she did.
It occurs to me that, yes, she was chosen to be God’s woman at a certain place and in history and at a certain time in her life. It also occurs to me that each moment of her life leading up to that moment served both to enable that moment to happen AND to witness to God at each and every point along the way as well as to prepare for that moment. She was beautiful and she was called to use what she had been given as a gift in the service of God.
It is probably true that you and I are or have been maneuvered by God to be used by Him to accomplish certain specific things. Yet the Bible doesn’t support the idea that we exist only for one moment in time. I can see how God has used me (very non-heroically) at a certain turning point, yet I also know that had He not used me, he would have used someone else (just as today’s verse says). I also know that all other moments of my life have a huge impact on those around me either negatively or positively. If I am faithful with my moments, God’s kingdom is expanded and others are blessed, if I am unfaithful with my moments I’m in God’s way.
In short, it seems to me that I can wake up each day and say, “today, Lord, You have made and chosen me for such a day exactly as the one I am about to enter”.
Prayer
“Lord, I enter today believing that everything in my life has been training for you to use me for such a day as today, knowing that the relatively small or relatively large things I face today are all important to you and to those involved. You have prepared me for such a time as today. Amen”
God has made you for such a day as Today
“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Esther 4:14
Today
After the return from Exile beginning in 538 BC, many Jews still remained in Persia (formerly Babylon). Among them was a pretty girl named Esther. She “won a beauty contest” became King Xerxes new Queen, was informed of a plot to exterminate all Persian Jews and called upon to thwart the plot at the risk of her own life. This she did.
It occurs to me that, yes, she was chosen to be God’s woman at a certain place and in history and at a certain time in her life. It also occurs to me that each moment of her life leading up to that moment served both to enable that moment to happen AND to witness to God at each and every point along the way as well as to prepare for that moment. She was beautiful and she was called to use what she had been given as a gift in the service of God.
It is probably true that you and I are or have been maneuvered by God to be used by Him to accomplish certain specific things. Yet the Bible doesn’t support the idea that we exist only for one moment in time. I can see how God has used me (very non-heroically) at a certain turning point, yet I also know that had He not used me, he would have used someone else (just as today’s verse says). I also know that all other moments of my life have a huge impact on those around me either negatively or positively. If I am faithful with my moments, God’s kingdom is expanded and others are blessed, if I am unfaithful with my moments I’m in God’s way.
In short, it seems to me that I can wake up each day and say, “today, Lord, You have made and chosen me for such a day exactly as the one I am about to enter”.
Prayer
“Lord, I enter today believing that everything in my life has been training for you to use me for such a day as today, knowing that the relatively small or relatively large things I face today are all important to you and to those involved. You have prepared me for such a time as today. Amen”
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Return
Dateline Jerusalem
March 12, 516 BC
They Finished!
“They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. Then the people of Israel--the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles--celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy” Ezra 6:14-16(NIV)
Are You a Good Finisher?
In one way I’m a lousy finisher. When I play basketball, get a rare offensive rebound and try to put it back in the hoop, my teammates will yell, “finish”. The reason is that I usually don’t. I miss. I have bad hands, bad touch, bad skill. One teammate said, “Jeff your shots usually go in on the third try”. But what good is all the effort without finishing?
The Apostle Paul said “finish the race”.
The returned exiles did finish. This is a big deal to me. I want to finish my earthly race well. I want to say what I was to have said while here and I want to get up one more time than I fall while here. I want to finish the race I’ve been given to run, not someone else’s race – I’ll fail at that race for sure.
Prayer
“Lord, help me to run the race you’ve put me in, which, in all likelihood, is meant to be run right where I am. Please give me courage, stamina, and the ability to see your purpose for your having entered me into this race in the first place. In the Name of Jesus, Your Son, the Great Finisher. Amen”
Dateline Jerusalem
March 12, 516 BC
They Finished!
“They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. Then the people of Israel--the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles--celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy” Ezra 6:14-16(NIV)
Are You a Good Finisher?
In one way I’m a lousy finisher. When I play basketball, get a rare offensive rebound and try to put it back in the hoop, my teammates will yell, “finish”. The reason is that I usually don’t. I miss. I have bad hands, bad touch, bad skill. One teammate said, “Jeff your shots usually go in on the third try”. But what good is all the effort without finishing?
The Apostle Paul said “finish the race”.
The returned exiles did finish. This is a big deal to me. I want to finish my earthly race well. I want to say what I was to have said while here and I want to get up one more time than I fall while here. I want to finish the race I’ve been given to run, not someone else’s race – I’ll fail at that race for sure.
Prayer
“Lord, help me to run the race you’ve put me in, which, in all likelihood, is meant to be run right where I am. Please give me courage, stamina, and the ability to see your purpose for your having entered me into this race in the first place. In the Name of Jesus, Your Son, the Great Finisher. Amen”
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Return
There's Nothing Like Being on a Great Team
“In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose. . . . . . rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel . . . . . Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the LORD each morning and evening." Ezra 3:1-3(NLT)
Are You on a Great Team?
The Sixers are a great team. No stars, but a team that’s great because it’s bigger than any individual and it makes each better than they can be alone. And they have a unified purpose – to win as a team.
Their individual fears that the returning remnant had of the Jews and Samaritans left behind in Israel after the exile were subordinate to a greater purpose, the rebuilding of God’s Temple.
Big, even Huge, Question: Are you on a great team, one that exists for God’s purpose and is comprised of teammates for whom the team is bigger than an individual? It could be your family, or church, or a group . . . but are you? Don’t leave this life without that experience. It’s a taste of “the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19)
Prayer
“Lord, I am asking now, please lead me to whatever steps I need to take to find a great team to play on, or to do what it takes of me to make the team I’m now on to be a team that plays with a unified purpose for You”
There's Nothing Like Being on a Great Team
“In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose. . . . . . rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel . . . . . Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the LORD each morning and evening." Ezra 3:1-3(NLT)
Are You on a Great Team?
The Sixers are a great team. No stars, but a team that’s great because it’s bigger than any individual and it makes each better than they can be alone. And they have a unified purpose – to win as a team.
Their individual fears that the returning remnant had of the Jews and Samaritans left behind in Israel after the exile were subordinate to a greater purpose, the rebuilding of God’s Temple.
Big, even Huge, Question: Are you on a great team, one that exists for God’s purpose and is comprised of teammates for whom the team is bigger than an individual? It could be your family, or church, or a group . . . but are you? Don’t leave this life without that experience. It’s a taste of “the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19)
Prayer
“Lord, I am asking now, please lead me to whatever steps I need to take to find a great team to play on, or to do what it takes of me to make the team I’m now on to be a team that plays with a unified purpose for You”
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Return
What's Wrong with Living in a Nice House?
"These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 'Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?'" Haggai 1:2-4
The Principle of First Things
C. S. Lewis wrote, “If we put first things first, we get the second things thrown in; but if we put second things first, we lose both the first and second things.”
Is Haggai still speaking today, even to us in the middle class paneled houses of southern Chester County? No, CLC is not in ruins, but what is the state of God’s New Testament house, the temple of the Holy Spirit which the body each of us inhabits?
Kathy and I have a nice house, nicer than anything I ever thought I would live in, nicer than I deserve. Yes, I wonder if we should be living this well. But the bigger issue is the degree to which my resources, including my house, are dedicated to the service and honor of the Lord.
PRAYER
“Father, forgive me for treating my home as if it is for me only. It’s a gift from you, belongs to you, belongs to your purposes. Help me value it and make use of it for your purposes. Amen”
What's Wrong with Living in a Nice House?
"These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 'Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?'" Haggai 1:2-4
The Principle of First Things
C. S. Lewis wrote, “If we put first things first, we get the second things thrown in; but if we put second things first, we lose both the first and second things.”
Is Haggai still speaking today, even to us in the middle class paneled houses of southern Chester County? No, CLC is not in ruins, but what is the state of God’s New Testament house, the temple of the Holy Spirit which the body each of us inhabits?
Kathy and I have a nice house, nicer than anything I ever thought I would live in, nicer than I deserve. Yes, I wonder if we should be living this well. But the bigger issue is the degree to which my resources, including my house, are dedicated to the service and honor of the Lord.
PRAYER
“Father, forgive me for treating my home as if it is for me only. It’s a gift from you, belongs to you, belongs to your purposes. Help me value it and make use of it for your purposes. Amen”
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Return
Does This Sound Like You?
"Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."” Haggai 1:5-6(NIV)
The Closet of Forgotten Passions
Max Lucado describes the “closet of forgotten passions” in his house. In it is a neglected telescope from when he had a passion for astronomy. In it is a stepping stone kit for their garden—unopened. In it are boxes of photos that have never been arranged in albums. God can never be put into the closet of lost passion. God is either the big thing or he is nothing.
The Jewish remnant, recently having returned to Israel from Babylon, was directing its passions to this-worldly things, only to find out how empty those passions leave us. Haggai was there to redirect their passions to what mattered. Haggai, through his writings, is speaking to you and me today.
Prayer
"Lord, I too have many “forgotten passions”, projects that once mattered, but are now unremembered. Lord, fan into flame within me a renewed passion for knowing You. Amen”
Does This Sound Like You?
"Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."” Haggai 1:5-6(NIV)
The Closet of Forgotten Passions
Max Lucado describes the “closet of forgotten passions” in his house. In it is a neglected telescope from when he had a passion for astronomy. In it is a stepping stone kit for their garden—unopened. In it are boxes of photos that have never been arranged in albums. God can never be put into the closet of lost passion. God is either the big thing or he is nothing.
The Jewish remnant, recently having returned to Israel from Babylon, was directing its passions to this-worldly things, only to find out how empty those passions leave us. Haggai was there to redirect their passions to what mattered. Haggai, through his writings, is speaking to you and me today.
Prayer
"Lord, I too have many “forgotten passions”, projects that once mattered, but are now unremembered. Lord, fan into flame within me a renewed passion for knowing You. Amen”
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Return
Home
"the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: (that the Jews could return to their homeland)” Ezra 1:1(NIV)
God moves Kings Just as Caesar was used by God as a pawn to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth, so here Cyrus is moved by God to allow the Jews to Go Home.
Is there a more powerful word than “Home”?
President Truman stated that he saw himself as a modern day Cyrus when he affirmed the declaration which recognized Israel as a new/restored nation in 1948. He knew the Bible, believed it, and God used his knowledge of Daniel to do something that President Roosevelt didn’t not approve of. What happened? Upon the death of Roosevelt, Truman assumed the Presidency and because of his religious convictions ensured a homeland for Israel. It had been 2,500 years since Israel had lost its sovereignty to Babylon.
If God can do this for Israel against all odds, what can he not do for you or for me? The answer is nothing. My conclusion? If God can, but God doesn’t, then he has something he wants to do with me and us right where we are right now, something we may see or feel like it benefits us, but it is most certainly benefiting God in God’s upper story.
Prayer
“Lord, I ask you today to give me the courage, self forgetfulness, perseverance, trust in you and thick enough skin to live for you . . . .at home, at work, where I live .. . . . . . . . . . . . this week." Amen”
Home
"the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: (that the Jews could return to their homeland)” Ezra 1:1(NIV)
God moves Kings Just as Caesar was used by God as a pawn to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth, so here Cyrus is moved by God to allow the Jews to Go Home.
Is there a more powerful word than “Home”?
President Truman stated that he saw himself as a modern day Cyrus when he affirmed the declaration which recognized Israel as a new/restored nation in 1948. He knew the Bible, believed it, and God used his knowledge of Daniel to do something that President Roosevelt didn’t not approve of. What happened? Upon the death of Roosevelt, Truman assumed the Presidency and because of his religious convictions ensured a homeland for Israel. It had been 2,500 years since Israel had lost its sovereignty to Babylon.
If God can do this for Israel against all odds, what can he not do for you or for me? The answer is nothing. My conclusion? If God can, but God doesn’t, then he has something he wants to do with me and us right where we are right now, something we may see or feel like it benefits us, but it is most certainly benefiting God in God’s upper story.
Prayer
“Lord, I ask you today to give me the courage, self forgetfulness, perseverance, trust in you and thick enough skin to live for you . . . .at home, at work, where I live .. . . . . . . . . . . . this week." Amen”
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