Final Post

Selections from Revelation:

Chapter 21:
… 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
…And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!...It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. ⁷ All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
…I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. ²⁴ The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. ²⁵ Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. ²⁶ And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. ²⁷ Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Chapter 22:
¹ Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.  ³ No longer will there be a curse upon anything…
[Jesus says:]
  ¹² “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  ¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. ¹⁵ Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.”
[Our response:]
20… “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”


20011 gone.  In one year I read the words of God recorded for humanity- his story of relationship fractured and mended.  I witnessed Adam and Eve partaking in the fruit of the forbidden tree, thus surrendering all rights to the tree of life.  I saw them cast out.  I saw promises made and broken from a nation who often wanted to serve the Lord their God with all their heart, mind and soul… until they were lured by the culture around them and also worshipped other gods.  I heard their destruction foretold, and the Messiah announced.  Finally I saw him come into the world of man to heal and to warn and to teach and to die- his life laid down as a ransom for many.  He healed the rift than sin had produced.  I felt the early Christians mourn his departure- then revel in his rising and ascension.  The early church lived in love and spread the gospel of Christ.  Persecution could not stop the Holy Spirit from coming with a fiery entrance to live in the heart of each believer.  Saul was changed and the one true church grew and was discipled through the inspired letters that speak to us today.  We are left with one final mysterious vision in Revelation.  Eerie and frightening pictures assault our minds, but God’s last written chapters leave us with beauty and a promise.  Jesus will come again.  Sin is conquered, but death is not- not fully.  And yet, it’s end is near.  Once again, we will eat of the tree of life. 

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the past year bible reading.  I would not have made it without you. 

I have made one spiritual goal for next year that I would like to share.  Reading so quickly gave me the context I desperately needed, but it did not change me as I would like.  Now I am going back and committing one verse per book of the bible to memory.  (Yes, this will take 66 weeks- Yes I realize it will take me longer than 1 year.) 

Day1 I will choose the verse or group of verses (something meaningful from my reading the past year) Day 2 and 3 I will commit the verse to memory.  Day 4 I will meditate using the word emphasis strategy.  Day 5 I will write a prayer based on the verse and Day 6 I will pray the verse aloud. 

I believe that God’s word will change me so I look forward to the changes the Spirit will produce within me this next year. 

Anyone else have any spiritual goals they would like to share?

I love you all.                  

Christmas Gifts

In keeping with the holiday season, I have designed my post with some seasonal imagery.  Imagine 5 gifts from Jesus our Lord, with our personal name written on the tag of each one.  Let us unwrap each one and receive the blessing with joy! 

These gifts are based on the reading from Dec. 10-16…

1-       The Gift of the Holy Spirit:

II Tim 1:6-7  “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

God gave us this gift- but he gives us part of the responsibility.  We have to fan it into flame.  We know the spirit is moving us when we operate out of power, love and self-discipline.  I can act on my own accord using one of these attributes, but only the Holy Spirit can give me strength for all three together.  When I feel weak in one area, I know to what to ask for. 

2-      The Gift of the Holy Scriptures:

II Tim 3:15  “from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
According to my study bible Jewish boys began their formal training in scripture at age 5, but Timothy had a mother and grandmother who started at infancy- so we can never begin to early!!!   

James 1:19-21  “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

As a parent I am inspired that God has given me such a powerful tool to speak with my children.  (Some say speak “over”- I say don’t stop there!  Speak with and to and through and over…)
I also love being a part of Good News Club because of the way they honor God’s word and make every effort to implant the scripture within young minds.    
James 1:27  “… keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
I think planting scripture inside of us is one of the best ways to protect ourselves from being corrupted by our culture.  So my next goal is to memorize scripture- something I have never been seriously intentional about thus far.      

3-      Gift of Prayer

Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isn’t it amazing that we can talk to Him anytime, anyplace!  I definitely depend on prayer to provide me the peace I need to survive.  Usually I quote this verse until I feel calm.  The end of the verse is so astounding to me- to know that peace will protect my heart and my mind.  Not only will God’s peace heal me when I have been upset, but if I come to him first, His peace will protect both my emotions and my mind from attack.  Why do I wait until I am upset to seek God’s peace? 

4-      Gift of Adoption

Philippians 2:14-16  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life.

Who am I that I should be called a child of God? 

Here I imagine opening up a family photo book titled, “God’s Children”.  Pages filled with faces would greet me.  I believe that according to John 1:12, anyone who truly believes and accepts Jesus has been given the right to become a child of God.  However, it seems that if we do EVERYTHING without grumbling or arguing, we can be children of God who really shine- set apart from our generation.  We would be children who do a better job of bringing glory to our Father.  But, how do I do EVERYTHING without grumbling or arguing?  I have a talent for both.  My children obviously inherited my “gift”.  And yet, I have to give up my right to argue and grumble- and this is only possible- AS I hold firmly to the word of life.  So we are right back up to the other gifts.

These are gifts every believer knows, but let us make sure we treasure them, not as china shut up in a cabinet, but as unbreakable items- of unspeakable beauty and immeasurable value that we have the privilege to access every day. 

Giving Thanks

Speeding through the life of Jesus and the birth of the early church has really been refreshing.  There are so many great scriptures, I have actually have had a hard time narrowing down what and how to say it.  After two other drafts that I scratched, I decided to write a Thanksgiving themed post.  This is my Top 7 Thank You List.  Why 7?  Because it’s a holy number!!!  Hee hee

Disclaimer: This has been ordered by those scriptures that spoke most powerfully to me last week.  In no way is this meant to imply a value judgment of one scripture over another. 

7.    Thank you, God that you give practical, simple advice.  Sometimes I focus on passages that are not clear to me and get so consumed with them.  My pastor and other pastors have asked their congregations, “How are you doing with the passages you do understand?”    Here is one I find simple and straight forward.  I Thess. 4:11 “We urge you, brothers and sisters… to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”   

6.  Thank you that our gospel is not just words, but power, the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. I Thess. 1:5 (my paraphrase)

5.  Thank you that you give us armor of protection for both our mind and our hearts, “putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet”.  I Thess. 5:8  Discussion point:  “How does God’s faith and love protect our heart?  How does the hope of salvation protect our mind?

4.  Thank you for 1.  making the world, 2.  giving all men life, 3.  making every nation and 4.  determining the times and exact places that they should live so that we would seek you and find you, even though you are not far from us.  Acts 17:24-27 (paraphrase mine)

3.  Thank you for giving us explicit scriptures to tell us what your will is for us.  According to I Thess. 5:16-18 Your will is that we would be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.  Giving thanks helps me to remain joyful, and I cannot remain joyful without praying continually.  Please accomplish this is me.    

2.  Thank you for those in my life who have shared not only the gospel but their lives, as mentioned in I Thess. 2:8 Help me do the same when you lead. 

1.  Thank you for your grace.  Help me never to “set aside the grace of God” Gal. 2:21.  I have been picturing myself holding a priceless power.  I have been asking God when I set this power down and pick up something else.  Or perhaps I just set this God given gift down to admire my treasure, instead of using the powerful gift of grace for the purposes God has planned.  
  
This is my top 7 scripture thank you list. 
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Assessing the Power of the Holy Spirit

I know this post is late, but it seems we're all having trouble getting out the posts on time. This time of the year can get really crazy if we aren't careful. I have been blessed by Amy's posts (as

always), but I miss hearing from the rest of you as well.

Do you ever have those times with God when He is working and speaking and revealing

marvelous truths to your spirit, yet, He seems to ever-so-slowly, step-by-step, reveal only

glimpses at a time? That is exactly how God has been working with me these past weeks

concerning the great power of His Holy Spirit for His people.

It all began as I looked more closely at Ephesians chapter 1 as Paul prays for the believers in

Ephesus. He asks that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened in order that they might

know 3 important truths, one being, the incomparably great power for us who believe. He goes

on to say that this power is like the working of God's mighty strength, which He exerted in

Christ when He raised Him from the dead. WOW! The same strength God used to raise Jesus

from the dead is FOR me? I had to know more, so I looked up power and it means to be able,

ability, achieving power. In this passage of Ephesians it means the great power of God, the

Messiah, His almighty energy. And the preposition "for" here is defined as meant to be

received by or belong to a specified person or thing, or to be used in a specified way.

Now let's put that all together. God desires for the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened so that

we can know the incomparably great ability of God, the Messiah, His almighty energy that is

meant to be received by His people, belong to us, and be used by us in a specific way. There

are some specific steps to take in order to appropriate this power, but we will look at those as

we close. God wanted me to understand that even though this power is for me, it is not my

power - it is His power in me. I pray for Him to fill me and use me and work powerfully through

me, but He is trying to teach me how to REALLY assess His Holy Spirit's power so He can use

me powerfully for His glory.

All of this revelation began coming together as we read about Jesus' resurrection in the gospels.

Matthew says in 28:6, "He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen."

Mark 16:6 and Luke 24:6 read the same, "He isn't here! He is risen from the dead!" Mary

declares in John 20:18, "I have seen the Lord!" I believe Acts 2:24 expresses it more power-

fully, "But God raised Him from the dead freeing Him from the agony of death because it was

impossible for death to keep its hold on Him." Those days of our reading were a powerful

reminder that God's great ability to raise Jesus from the dead is meant to belong to me to be

used in God's specific ways.

God brought this journey to a humbling climax during our last Sunday School lesson on

Kingdom Authority by Adrian Rogers. The last session was on accessing the power of the Holy

Spirit. We studied Acts 2:1-4 where the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus' followers with tremen-

dous power. Verse 8 tells us that the purpose of supplying such power is so all believers would

be transformed to be witnesses of the living Lord. Salvation is the "greater works" Jesus told

His disciples they would do after He was gone. (John 14:12)

We know from Acts 2:41 that about 3000 people were saved on that powerful day. Adrian

Rogers explains it this way: "Indeed, the disciples did greater works than Jesus. So can we.

Consider their formula for success: They prayed for ten days, preached for ten minutes, and

3000 souls were saved. I'm afraid that for a typical worship service we pray ten minutes,

preach ten hours, and hope that somebody is saved." He suggests that if we desire the power

of the Holy Spirit to be evident in our lives we must let Him consume our sin, illumine our souls,

transform our lives, and make Himself attractive to others through us. We must ask ourselves

some very hard questions before this is possible:

1) How often do I submit myself to the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit by confessing my

very specific sins?

2) How often do I read and study the Word of God and ask for the fire that will illuminate

His message?

3) Do I seek to be Christlike and ask for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to perform

that work in me?

4) Do I live in such a way that the fire and the power of the Holy Spirit are evident in my life

so others are drawn to Christ?

Like all of life, this is a process and my prayer for myself, each of you, and for all of God's

people is that we would take these questions to the Lord daily and honestly ask Him to

empower our lives. My desire is to live in the fullness and the victory of the Holy Spirit.

I'm choosing to pray more, speak less, and watch the Spirit of God change lives!

Bartimaeus

1.  Persistence 

I have to admire Bartimaeus's spunk.  He shouts to Jesus, and then when others tell him to be quiet, he "shouts all the more" Mark 10:48.  I heard a sermon recently that criticized the pat statement, "... if it be God's will."  He said, Jesus asked us to pray that God's will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, implying that because we live in a sinful world- his will is not always done on earth.  Why else would he have us pray this?  Since we know that sickness, death, and eternal separation are not his will (Matt. 18:14) but entered because of the fall of man (or perhaps because of Lucifer’s sin), we can pray consistently against these evils.  God will not tire of us.  Even Jesus, the pastor noted, repeatedly asked for the cup to be taken away from him- a message that shouts- "I do not passively accept or condone this sinful problem or the consequences, and yet, out of love, I choose to pay this price."   In Luke 18 we read about the persistent widow Jesus used to show us "how we should always pray and never give up". 

After speaking about healing, and discussing examples where healing was provided, and not provided, our church opened up a time where people could come up and ask others to pray for healing.  I watched, amazed at the response.  I couldn't help crying for the little boy whose arms and legs were bandaged because of his crippling skin disease.  I wanted to see him healed so badly.  I know God can heal.  And yet I know sometimes he doesn't.  I don't know why.  And yet, he asks us to come to him and not give up.  I almost didn't want to face the disappointment for that boy if he wasn't healed.  I slipped into the attitude of: "Don't ask God, because then you can't be disappointed if he says no- or worse, if he seems to say nothing at all."  I believe that attitude is wrong.  Coming to him is a kind of healing in itself.  He alone can heal our life- disappointments and all.  Sometimes he even heals our bodies in this life.  We need to continue to ask- and if others quiet us- SHOUT all the louder like Bartimaeus. 

2.  Humility
And what was he shouting?  "Jesus, have mercy on me!" 

I find what he was shouting extremely interesting.  I would have shouted, “Jesus- I want to see!  Heal me!”  Instead, his humble plea shows he understands that he is not worthy- he understands he requests an intervention from a holy God.  He requests something he does not deserve.  I learn from this because I think, “That child deserves to be healed.  No one deserves to suffer.” Wrong.  It is God’s great desire that none should perish.  If he could, Jesus would gather us in his arms like a mother hen, but not because of our worthiness, but because of his holy compassion.  Bartimaeus was bold- not stopped by fears of humiliation, not stopped by the disgust of man, but he humbly cried out to the Holy One of Israel. 

3.      Obedience

Then when called upon by Jesus, he immediately threw his cloak aside, "jumped to his feet and came to Jesus".  How many times have I instructed my children, “Obey right away.”  I might send them to their room, and they begin at a pace that will ensure Jesus returns before they make it!  As their punishment increases, they gasp in shock but I say, “It isn’t obedience unless you obey right away.”  How hard it is to put into practice.

My fear is that I would be crying out to God with my whole heart, and then he would call, and I would delay.  How many people had some reason not to follow Jesus.  But he said, we are not fit if we put our hand to the plow and look back.  Do I really expect a response when I pray?  Bartimaeus did- as evidence by his immediate response.  I pray God would give me the strength to throw my cloak aside- forsaking all else- and jump up and meet with Jesus.  And I can- through prayer.  I can meet him every day!         

4.  Thankfulness

After his healing, Bartimaeus followed Jesus.

If we have accepted the spiritual healing that Jesus has given to those who have called on him, we show our thankfulness by following him.  A daily walk. 

Micah 6:8 “He has show you, oh __(your name)__ what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Bartimaeus called out for mercy.  He acted justly by jumping up to meet with Jesus, and he showed his thankfulness by humbly walking with Jesus.   

Now it is our turn.

Walls

Enemies break down our walls.

Idolatry leads us to build no walls.

Ignorance leads us to leave an open gate.

Fear leads us to wall in the gates.

Sin leads us to ignore the walls

               crumbling around us.

Hypocrisy leads us to paint a smile over

                       the wreckage.

But God

     builds upon His salvation

     and adorns our walls with jewels.

I have been thinking about walls during the past few months.  I think back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve experienced sin- the result of boundary issues- and they were escorted out of the garden. 

Fast forward to the exodus:    

Exodus 14:22
And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

These walls were protection allowing an impossible escape from the enemy while holding back the natural elements.

As Israel settled in the Promised Land, they began building walls.  These walls of protection for the city had towers for the ability to see an approaching enemy.  They had gates to let people in and out for commerce and travel.

As I meditated about these purposes, I thought about boundary problems.  Some people have no walls or gates.  They have not developed the ability to discern what to let in their lives and what to keep out.  They let everything in.  There is no protection. 

Others go to the other extreme and have a great wall- with no gates.  Fear has led them to isolation and a smothering of those who live inside the wall with them.  They let no one in, and they fear too much to let their loved ones travel freely. 

2 Chronicles 14:7
And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered.

Soon after the walls were established, they fell into disrepair.  Most often a righteous king ushered an era of throwing out the garbage (idolatry) and repairing the walls of protection.

2 Chronicles 32:5
He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance.

Because of Israel’s repeated disobedience and idol worship, they were eventually conquered and taken to different lands.  When a remnant did return under the leadership of Nehemiah, they set up the task of rebuilding the wall.  The remnant was ridiculed by their enemies for this undertaking.  When taunts didn’t deter the few, the enemies spoke lies then planned attacks.

Ezra 4:13
Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired

It made me think, that if we take on the task of repairing our walls, we must be ready to face the opposition. 

 I found the process Nehemiah went through to be powerful and applicable. 

.

First, The walls were inspected- assessed.

Nehemiah 2:15
Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.

We need to look at our boundaries and assess them.  Are we saying “yes” too often without asking God?  Are we saying “no” in order to shut out or shut in our loved ones?  Are our priorities backed up by the amount of time and money we spend?  Are we protecting our marriages, families, friends, churches with appropriate boundaries?  Are we helping our children to set boundaries? 

Nehemiah did not rebuild the wall by himself.  Second, He enlisted help by rallying others.  God wants us to not just protect our own interests, but create a movement of boundary setting.  How can this be done? 

Finally, the walls were consecrated by the priests and then people were put in charge as “gatekeepers” and singers, among other jobs.  I thought these jobs were particularly interesting, because they sounded unusual.   I have skipped over them too easily. 

A friend of mine calls parents “gatekeepers” because she feels it is their job to help protect their children’s sexual purity.  She feels the responsibility for all God’s children- to protect them by careful observation for any that would attack those boundaries through abuse.  She feels she neglected this role with her own children out of ignorance, but now she understands this important role, and she takes it seriously. 

Gatekeepers.  I help my children set up boundaries while they are under my influence.    

Nehemiah 7:1
Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed…

God criticized the Levites for neglecting their responsibilities in maintaining the walls.

Ezekiel 13:5 ⁵ You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD.

Ezekiel 22:30
And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

Again, in the NIV:

³⁰ “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

Some say this verse is speaking to the future Messiah who would stand in the gap and pay for our sins.  As “gatekeepers” for ourselves and for our families, I think we are called to examine our walls consistently. 

Sin distracts to keep us from inspecting the walls.  Sometimes it is just the sin of busyness that keeps us from reflecting.  Sometimes it is just the desire to “check out” by “checking in” to television and movies.  Whatever keeps us from God keeps us blind to our condition.   

Even in the prophetic scriptures, we find references to walls.

Isaiah 26:1
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.

Isaiah 60:18
Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

Ultimately, our walls should be the story of our salvation, and our gates should be doors of praise. 

It is Christ’s work and free gift that is my protection.  That salvation is the lens that should help me choose every yes and every no.  Every attack should be filtered through his salvation.  I am still figuring out what exactly this means on a practical day to day level.

And my gates are praise.  I pray that every time I walk out my door, I will remember to praise my God.  I pray that every person I let come in, will hear me praising God.  And if they refuse to praise Him, they may just be asked to wait on the other side of my walls of salvation!  When I neglect to praise him and only complain, complain, complain, I may need a time out for meditation on the walls of salvation. 

Even Hezekiah, in his time of anguish “turned his face to the wall and prayed” 2 Kings 20:2.

If our walls have been built by anything but the salvation of our God, we are in trouble.

Ezekiel 13:14
And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare.

But God, when we go to him, is our builder.

Amos 7:7
This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.

Zechariah 2:5
And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.'"

As a conclusion to this post, and a conclusion to the Old Testament, let us read about our future with God:

Rev. 21

¹⁸The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ²¹And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

 ²²And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night...

There will be no temple, but there will still be walls.  The gates will be open all day, every day- every true believer safe within God’s beautiful salvation.  His gates forever open for those who praise him eternally.   

So let us live in his walls of protection today.

Let us enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise. 

Remember Who You Are

What a privilege for me to be able to choose to do my post on portions of Scripture from Esther. Esther has always been one of my favorite books. It thrills me to be able to share some valuable truths I learned last Spring from the study of Esther by Beth Moore.


We know that Esther and her cousin Mordecai (who had adopted Esther) were Jews living in Susa of Persia as a result of the original exile of God's people to Babylon. We have also learned from our Bible reading that a group of God's people already returned to Jerusalem before the account of Esther. Many Jewish families, including Esther's, chose to stay behind. Although the book of Esther never mentions God, it's central theme demonstrates God's mighty hand providentially taking care of His people.


Xerxes, the King of Persia, is portrayed as someone very irresponsible and easily manipulated. Queen Vashti refuses his request to appear at his feast, so in anger he takes the advice of his manipulative adviser for her to be banished from his presence forever and to choose another queen. All young virgins of the empire are gathered into a harem for year long beauty treatments. Esther was taken into the harem and eventually to the King's bed. He was so delighted with her that he made her queen and celebrates with a great banquet. Soon afterwards her cousin/father, Mordecai, became a palace official at the king's gate.


Xerxes appoints an official named Haman as the most powerful official in the empire. Now Haman was an Amalekite and, as we've learned in our reading, the Amalekites were a ruthless people who had attacked the defenseless Israelites on several occasions through the history of their settlement in the land of Canaan. God made his people a promise to "erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven." according to Ex. 17:14. After giving His people rest from their enemies in the promised land, God commanded the Israelites to destroy the Amalekites. (Deut. 25:19). So, Saul, Israel's first king, was instructed by God through Samuel the prophet to completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation. (1 Sam. 15:3). If Saul had obeyed and destroyed every man, woman, and child of the Amalekites, Haman would never have been born. However, Saul disobeyed God and Haman became a descendant of King Agag. Mordecai, on the other hand, was a descendant of Kish (Saul's father). Many scholars conclude that there was a persisting generational rivalry between the Jews and Amalekites.


At this point in Esther, we can possibly understand why Mordecai would not bow down to Haman even though Xerxes had not only promoted him, he commanded that all his officials would bow down whenever Haman passed by. Surely Mordecai's office at the city gate had given him opportunity to learn of Haman's heritage. And so we read in Esther 3:5-6, "When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai's nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes." This is "persisting generational rivalry" way out of control!


Timing now becomes very significant. We read in verse 7 that Haman cast lots in the month of Nisan (April) to determine when to destroy the Jews and in verse 12 that the decree was written on the 13th day of Nisan. Most likely it was then dispatched to all the provinces of the empire on the next day, the 14th. Lev. 23:4-5 reveals a connection between that day. It tells us that the Lord's Passover began on the 14th day of Nisan. Beth Moore enlightens us, "From a divine perspective, the chronology was the furthest thing from coincidence. We have no idea how many of the seven annual feasts of Judaism were observed among the exiles of Persia. Of this we can be confident, however: If they celebrated only one, it was undoubtedly Passover. Even today very few people who count themselves Jewish are oblivious to the holiday or its significance, whether or not they commenmorate it."


So the edict hits the provinces that day God's people are preparing their tables for Passover. That evening at dusk, in accordance with God's command, fathers would recount to their wives and children the story of Israel's deliverance from Egypt by God's mighty hand. As they choked backed tears, they rehearsed every detail of the miraculous redemption. Celebration turned to shock and horror. They must have wondered - why must we receive this terrifying news on this - our Passover? To God, the timing was perfect - perhaps His way of giving His people hope. Jews were reminded who they were and what God had done for them. Beth shares, "Decades earlier the Persian Jews had chosen not to take advantage of their deliverance under the decree of Cyrus and their permission to return to Jerusalem. They decided they liked Persian life and stayed put. Then came Haman. Maybe that's one reason God allows "Hamans" to come along in life - so we'll quit being so at home here."


I hope like me you will read over these next declarations several times until they sink in. "Sometimes God uses the winds of a new threat to blow the dust off a past miracle that has moved from our active file into the archives. Remember what God has done for you! Remember who you are!"


You have been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven. Eph. 2:6


You are a citizen of heaven. Phil. 3:20


You are an alien and stranger to this world in which you temporarily live. 1 Pet.2:11


You have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor 2:16


SO you should set your mind on the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Col 3:1-2


Some say that there are those who are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good.


I say lets become so heavenly minded that it releases us to be our most excellent earthly best!


Press on sisters - I love you!