May 2 - Esther 7-10
It is always nice to read a story with a happy ending. Esther has a happy ending. God's plan of having Esther become the queen, so that she could intercede for the Jews worked, and Esther's plan to approach the king through two luncheons with Haman worked. In fact, we can see great wisdom in Esther's choice. When the king learned of her request to save her life and the life of her people, Haman was right there. The blame could be fixed on him, and the punishment could be carried out immediately. God will bless us with wisdom in crucial situations when we cry out to Him like Esther did.
Then, it is amazing to think about the rest of the story, too. Esther received all of Haman's estate. She went from thinking she might die to receiving great riches. Mordecai was promoted to be second to the king. He received the signet ring of the king that did belong to Haman. This made it possible for him to write the official letters to save the Jews. Mordecai went from a poor man to a man of great authority. This happened because of His trust in God, and because of his faithfulness to raise Esther as his own daughter. All of these things are examples of God's unexpected blessings upon those who are faithful to Him. How has God blessed you? I am confident that you have a long list of blessings. That is how God is.
Finally, the feast of Purim was begun to celebrate God's blessings for the Jews in this situation. They still celebrate it to this day. They thank God for protecting them from their enemies. I think it would be great for us to do the same thing today in our personal lives. Take your calendar and mark the special days when God did great things for you. Then, do something each year to remember those personal blessings from God. If we don't do something like this, we can begin to take the blessings of God for granted. We must never allow that to happen.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 1-3.
Then, it is amazing to think about the rest of the story, too. Esther received all of Haman's estate. She went from thinking she might die to receiving great riches. Mordecai was promoted to be second to the king. He received the signet ring of the king that did belong to Haman. This made it possible for him to write the official letters to save the Jews. Mordecai went from a poor man to a man of great authority. This happened because of His trust in God, and because of his faithfulness to raise Esther as his own daughter. All of these things are examples of God's unexpected blessings upon those who are faithful to Him. How has God blessed you? I am confident that you have a long list of blessings. That is how God is.
Finally, the feast of Purim was begun to celebrate God's blessings for the Jews in this situation. They still celebrate it to this day. They thank God for protecting them from their enemies. I think it would be great for us to do the same thing today in our personal lives. Take your calendar and mark the special days when God did great things for you. Then, do something each year to remember those personal blessings from God. If we don't do something like this, we can begin to take the blessings of God for granted. We must never allow that to happen.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 1-3.