Beginning with Esther 5:9 we learn about one of Haman’s characteristics; pride. We see in verse 11 that he boasted to his friends about his vast wealth, his sons, and his relationship with the king. In the next verse he bragged that he was the only person the Queen invited to join her and the king for dinner.
Pride is a feeling of superiority above others. God knew that we were going to have a problem with pride and he issued some warnings to us about that in His Word. In Proverbs 8:13 we are told “I hate pride and arrogance”. Proverbs 11:3 says “When pride comes then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” In 13:10 we read “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” We are warned in 16:18 that “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” and finally in 29:23 “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor”.
You see, what God wants us to realize is that He created us and in ourselves we are nothing. In fact, although God made us perfect, we chose to disobey Him and sin entered into our lives. It is God’s desire that if we have any success in our lives we realize it is from Him. He wants us to have the humble heart of a servant. That attitude will allow us to be most useful to Him.
Isaiah does a good job of describing the attitude God desires. He says in 64:8 “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” The potter takes clay from the ground and molds it into useful and beautiful things. God wants to do that in each of our lives and will if we allow Him.
As God gives you success, never forget that He wants you to remain moldable. That attitude will bring joy and peace into your life.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Esther 13 - God's Purpose for Your Life
I mentioned in the first devotional that God has a purpose for your life. The text I referred to was Esther 4:14. In Jeremiah 1:5 we read “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” I believe we can understand from this statement that God knows each one of us before we are born and has a plan for our lives.
I’m also reminded of Psalm 139:13-16 where David says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes say my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
When God made each one of us He gave us a will of our own and the ability to make decisions. He will not force His will on us. He will not force us to live our lives according to His perfect will. He wants us to make that decision on our own. As I mentioned earlier the first step in God’s plan is for us to trust the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior. At that point God places the Holy Spirit in our lives to guide and direct us if we allow Him to.
How do you learn God’s will for your life. The most critical element in this process is to keep a clean heart before Him. I John 1:9 says that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Any time we realize we have sinned we need to confess that to Him. It is also extremely important that you study the Bible on a daily basis. As you study God’s Word the Holy Spirit will work in your life to show you how to apply it at that particular time. He works through the study of His Word to help you see His plan for your life.
The third element is prayer. I believe there are two things to realize about prayer. First, it is important to have a daily concentrated time of prayer. In order to help me do that I keep a prayer list for each day of specific people or things I want to pray about. Secondly, in I Thessalonians 5:17 Paul tells us to “pray continually”. I believe he means that as we go about our day our relationship with God should be so that it is natural for us to quickly go to Him anytime something arises that we need His guidance or to praise Him for something that He does for us. Talking to God should be as natural as talking to anyone else.
I pray that you will continually seek God’s will for your life. As you do that you will accomplish God’s will for your life and will also be the most satisfied. Someone has said that we are most satisfied with God when He is most satisfied with us.
I’m also reminded of Psalm 139:13-16 where David says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes say my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
When God made each one of us He gave us a will of our own and the ability to make decisions. He will not force His will on us. He will not force us to live our lives according to His perfect will. He wants us to make that decision on our own. As I mentioned earlier the first step in God’s plan is for us to trust the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior. At that point God places the Holy Spirit in our lives to guide and direct us if we allow Him to.
How do you learn God’s will for your life. The most critical element in this process is to keep a clean heart before Him. I John 1:9 says that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Any time we realize we have sinned we need to confess that to Him. It is also extremely important that you study the Bible on a daily basis. As you study God’s Word the Holy Spirit will work in your life to show you how to apply it at that particular time. He works through the study of His Word to help you see His plan for your life.
The third element is prayer. I believe there are two things to realize about prayer. First, it is important to have a daily concentrated time of prayer. In order to help me do that I keep a prayer list for each day of specific people or things I want to pray about. Secondly, in I Thessalonians 5:17 Paul tells us to “pray continually”. I believe he means that as we go about our day our relationship with God should be so that it is natural for us to quickly go to Him anytime something arises that we need His guidance or to praise Him for something that He does for us. Talking to God should be as natural as talking to anyone else.
I pray that you will continually seek God’s will for your life. As you do that you will accomplish God’s will for your life and will also be the most satisfied. Someone has said that we are most satisfied with God when He is most satisfied with us.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Esther 12 - Listening to Elder’s Advice
We learned earlier that Esther was raised by her uncle Mordecai. We can see that she loved him because of her reaction to the report of Mordecai’s mourning in sackcloth. She sent clothes to him and when he would not accept them she sent someone again to find out what was wrong (4:4-5). As events unfolded Mordecai gave Esther some advice that was very difficult to follow. He asked her to risk her life by going to the king to plead for the safety of the Jews.
There are actually a couple of reasons for her to be concerned. First, even though she was the king’s wife, in that culture she was not allowed to approach the king unless he summoned her. If she approached him and was not welcome it would not have been unusual for the king to order her killed. Secondly, in order for her to do what Mordecai requested she would have to reveal her identity. Apparently the king nor anyone else knew that she was a Jewess. When the king learned about that it could have made him very upset.
As the story continues we learn that Esther listened to Mordecai’s advice but did not immediately approach the king. She reveals an element of maturity by asking Mordecai and all the Jews to fast with her for three days. I believe she spent this time earnestly praying to God seeking His guidance because what Mordecai had asked her to do was unusual and dangerous. After doing this she went to the king and we know that he received her and granted her wish.
A lesson for us in this story is that we should listen to the advice of the elders we respect and trust. We should keep in mind that others may have more life experiences than we do. Parents and grandparents can often offer wise counsel. Your pastor is always someone you should be able to turn to for good advice. It will be easy to think that your elders don’t understand your culture and for that reason you shouldn’t listen to them. They may not have encountered the specific situation you do, but they have been in similar circumstances and they may well know what is best for you. It will be to your benefit to heed their advice as you seek God’s guidance in your life
There are actually a couple of reasons for her to be concerned. First, even though she was the king’s wife, in that culture she was not allowed to approach the king unless he summoned her. If she approached him and was not welcome it would not have been unusual for the king to order her killed. Secondly, in order for her to do what Mordecai requested she would have to reveal her identity. Apparently the king nor anyone else knew that she was a Jewess. When the king learned about that it could have made him very upset.
As the story continues we learn that Esther listened to Mordecai’s advice but did not immediately approach the king. She reveals an element of maturity by asking Mordecai and all the Jews to fast with her for three days. I believe she spent this time earnestly praying to God seeking His guidance because what Mordecai had asked her to do was unusual and dangerous. After doing this she went to the king and we know that he received her and granted her wish.
A lesson for us in this story is that we should listen to the advice of the elders we respect and trust. We should keep in mind that others may have more life experiences than we do. Parents and grandparents can often offer wise counsel. Your pastor is always someone you should be able to turn to for good advice. It will be easy to think that your elders don’t understand your culture and for that reason you shouldn’t listen to them. They may not have encountered the specific situation you do, but they have been in similar circumstances and they may well know what is best for you. It will be to your benefit to heed their advice as you seek God’s guidance in your life
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Esther 11 - Obedience
The subject of obedience comes up several times in the book of Esther. We first see that Vashti was disobedient to her husband’s order to come show her beauty to all the men. As a result of that she was deposed as queen, was divorced, and caused an order to be issued by the king that was proclaimed throughout all the kingdom so that all women would respect their husbands (1:20).
In chapter three we see Haman introduced as an Agagite. Agagite is another word for Amalekite. We are introduced to the Amalekites in Ex. 17 when Moses battled them. It is a famous story because Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of a hill during the battle and as long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites won the battle, but whenever he lowered his hands the Amalekites prevailed. Aaron and Hur helped him hold up his hands and the Israelites won. God then vowed that He would completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under Heaven.
God chose to do that when Saul was king of Israel. In I Samuel 15 He told Saul to “attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys”. Saul disobeyed by deciding to spare the king, Agag, and also spared the best of the sheep and cattle”. Because of Saul’s disobedience, the Agagites are now causing the Jews trouble.
In Esther 3:3 we noticed that Mordecai disobeyed the king’s command to bow before Haman. Mordecai refused to do this because God was the only one to whom He should bow down. It wasn’t a matter of showing respect, but of worshiping. The Bible tells us we should respect and pray for our government leaders and should be obedient to the laws unless those laws cause us to violate God’s Word. His Word tells us that we should have no other Gods and that is what Haman was trying to accomplish.
We discussed earlier the consequences of Queen Vashti’s disobedience. That instance shows us that there can be consequences for doing what is right. Saul’s action of disobedience to God was wrong and we see the results of that disobedience. Mordecai was right and God honored that decision. As you have read the book of Esther you realize that Mordecai had been obedient to the other laws of the land and actually alerted the king of a threat on his life. At the end of the book we see that Mordecai is honored by the king.
We have also discussed how Esther was obedient to Mordecai’s request to go to the king to expose the danger to her people. From these instances we can learn that it is best to obey our elders and others in authority. As you are tempted not to do that, remember the consequences can be bad for you. Obedience to God is of primary importance in our lives.
In chapter three we see Haman introduced as an Agagite. Agagite is another word for Amalekite. We are introduced to the Amalekites in Ex. 17 when Moses battled them. It is a famous story because Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of a hill during the battle and as long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites won the battle, but whenever he lowered his hands the Amalekites prevailed. Aaron and Hur helped him hold up his hands and the Israelites won. God then vowed that He would completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under Heaven.
God chose to do that when Saul was king of Israel. In I Samuel 15 He told Saul to “attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys”. Saul disobeyed by deciding to spare the king, Agag, and also spared the best of the sheep and cattle”. Because of Saul’s disobedience, the Agagites are now causing the Jews trouble.
In Esther 3:3 we noticed that Mordecai disobeyed the king’s command to bow before Haman. Mordecai refused to do this because God was the only one to whom He should bow down. It wasn’t a matter of showing respect, but of worshiping. The Bible tells us we should respect and pray for our government leaders and should be obedient to the laws unless those laws cause us to violate God’s Word. His Word tells us that we should have no other Gods and that is what Haman was trying to accomplish.
We discussed earlier the consequences of Queen Vashti’s disobedience. That instance shows us that there can be consequences for doing what is right. Saul’s action of disobedience to God was wrong and we see the results of that disobedience. Mordecai was right and God honored that decision. As you have read the book of Esther you realize that Mordecai had been obedient to the other laws of the land and actually alerted the king of a threat on his life. At the end of the book we see that Mordecai is honored by the king.
We have also discussed how Esther was obedient to Mordecai’s request to go to the king to expose the danger to her people. From these instances we can learn that it is best to obey our elders and others in authority. As you are tempted not to do that, remember the consequences can be bad for you. Obedience to God is of primary importance in our lives.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Esther 10 - Natural Beauty
As Esther is introduced in 2:7 we are told that she “was lovely in form and features”. I take that to mean she was a beautiful young lady. We learn in verse 13 that when the ladies were to go to see the king they were given permission to take anything they wanted from the king’s harem with them. I take from this statement they were given their choice of clothes, jewelry, perfume, etc. It is interesting that she took nothing other than what the person in charge suggested.
While we may think of our outward appearance, natural beauty includes our inner being, our personality. God has given you a personality that you are continually developing. That personality begins to emerge at a very young age and is continually influenced by life events and those around us. As you develop relationships think about the personality of those you choose as friends. They will have a significant impact on your life. Peer pressure is extremely strong and you should choose friends who are helpful to you rather than harmful.
I’m reminded of the verse in I Cor. 6:19 that tells us that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…” It is important that we take good care of the bodies that God has given us. There are many ways that we can abuse our body. One is not eating right; eating too much, too little or the wrong things. In our culture many abuse their minds and bodies by using drugs. Drugs are an artificial stimulant that may make you feel good for a while, but have serious negative consequences.
Another way to abuse our body is not getting enough rest. We should get enough physical exercise so that our body will function properly, but we should also get enough physical, mental and spiritual rest.
I’m reminded of Psalm 139:14 that says “I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” I don’t know what your temptations may be but please never forget that as a Christian your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
While we may think of our outward appearance, natural beauty includes our inner being, our personality. God has given you a personality that you are continually developing. That personality begins to emerge at a very young age and is continually influenced by life events and those around us. As you develop relationships think about the personality of those you choose as friends. They will have a significant impact on your life. Peer pressure is extremely strong and you should choose friends who are helpful to you rather than harmful.
I’m reminded of the verse in I Cor. 6:19 that tells us that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…” It is important that we take good care of the bodies that God has given us. There are many ways that we can abuse our body. One is not eating right; eating too much, too little or the wrong things. In our culture many abuse their minds and bodies by using drugs. Drugs are an artificial stimulant that may make you feel good for a while, but have serious negative consequences.
Another way to abuse our body is not getting enough rest. We should get enough physical exercise so that our body will function properly, but we should also get enough physical, mental and spiritual rest.
I’m reminded of Psalm 139:14 that says “I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” I don’t know what your temptations may be but please never forget that as a Christian your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
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