 The book of Esther never mentions the name of God. But it is none the less the story of God and His working through a godless king, an evil man, and a strikingly beautiful queen. He speaks without speaking. He teaches without instruction. And He shows His sovereignty powerfully and purposefully.
Movies, books, radio dramas, we gravitate to story and we can’t be satisfied with part of a story. Our minds hunger for the conclusion. How does it end? It is too easy to translate that proclivity into life. When you are five, you can’t wait to be six. When you are 15, 16 is the goal. When you are single, you want to be married (and often as soon as possible). Then you want children, a better job, and a new house. All the while, we rush through life, waiting to get back to the story. But the story, your story, is being told right now. No need to linger, longing for the story to start. Just like Esther, where an unnamed God is working behind the scenes – in your life a known God is writing your story even this very hour. Each scene is needful. It’s time to engage in every one. Last night another mouse couldn’t resist the peanut butter (I guess it’s like drinking the Kool-Aid…). And I found it in the trap. Very little in life causes us to recoil like death. It can be disgusting, like my mouse, or saddening or infuriating or devastating. Death awakens some of our strongest emotions as human beings. And the threat of death unlocks some of the greatest heroism and some of the greatest cowardice of which we are capable. But whether we fight or cower, death, eventually, always wins and we are always left the loser. And yet, something deep inside rebels against death as though it were…unnatural. It is as though we were not created to die. As though our very being is locked in a struggle with this evil of dying…if only we realized that all evil, by its nature, must end in death. Perhaps then we would also understand that we were created for perfection. We were made for the beauty of holiness. We have been designed for heaven, to live forever with God. And this is what Jesus was offering when He called for all who are the thirsty to come and drink living water that would yield eternal life. That water is Christ, Himself. So, let us come, believe in His death and resurrection as fully sufficient to make us accepted by God and drink of the living water. Then we will understand Paul’s triumph, “O death where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”  My dog’s food dish was being raided. Every night small rodents left behind unmistakable calling cards. So we set a trap. In the morning the peanut butter was gone and the trap was sprung but empty. So we made the trap more sensitive and set it again. In the morning, the peanut butter was there and so was the mouse. The mouse had escaped once by a hairbreadth but still did not comprehend the danger. Cards are evil. Dancing is a sortie of the Devil. Movies are his plaything. And that’s bad. And that’s sinful. And brussels sprouts have demons living inside of them…okay, I may have borrowed that one from the Dark Ages but you get the idea. It is easy to laugh at what our parents, and their parents, and their parents thought were evil. And easier still to think, “I am more enlightened. Sure all those things can be used for evil but they can also be used for good.” (Except maybe the Brussels sprouts.) But there is something our fathers from the Middle Ages well recognized – some would say to the point of fanaticism – there is a thief among us and he comes to pillage, kill and destroy. Thus, godly men must be perpetually on guard against giving Satan any foothold. Because whether that foothold takes the form of legalism or permissiveness, it is a trap. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, take heed least he fall.   Sunny – Grace and mercy.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16 Partial Sunny – Passion for Jesus and His kingdom. “Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” – Luke 10:2 Windy – Sensitivity to the whispering of the Holy Spirit. “Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.” – Deut 4:36 Cloudy – Wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” – James 1:5 Rainy – Revival and spiritual growth. “O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.” – Habakkuk 3:2 Snow – Peace. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Hail – Endurance. “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:” – Hebrews 10:36 |
The AuthorCome with me as we grow in fellowship with each other and our Savior to whom belongs the Amazing Escape from sin and death and the Amazing Journey into glorious life. Archives
June 2024
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