God Turns the Negative into a Positive - Esther 9-10 and Acts 7:1-21
Think of how many times the Bible tells us that God caused a negative situation to turn out positive. He has the power to cause the exact opposite to happen for His glory and the good of His Kingdom. That truth should give us all hope, because we know that there is no hopeless situation with the Lord. The Bible is full of examples, and I believe that we could all look back on our own lives and find examples of this truth, too. God is in the business of taking what Satan does for evil and turning it into good.
Satan wanted to use Haman to destroy the Jews, and specifically Satan wanted Mordecai dead. God worked it out so that the opposite happened. The Jews were able to destroy their enemies, and Mordecai was promoted to Haman's position as second in command in Persia. What an about face! The Jews realized this because they went from mourning to rejoicing, so they instituted the feast of Purim, which they celebrate to this day. I think we as Christians need a feats of Purim, too. Well, we really do have one don't we? It is called Easter. Satan meant to kill Jesus and solidify his control over the earth, but God raised Him from the dead, and the opposite took place. Satan was defeated once and for all. Easter should give us all hope every day.
Acts 7 begins Stephen's account of the history of God's people. He began by telling about Abraham and Joseph. In both cases God worked miraculously to bring about the opposite outcome to what we would have thought would have happened. He gave the childless Abraham a son, who became a great nation. He gave the landless people a land. He used Joseph in the process. Joseph went from being despised by his brothers to being esteemed by Pharaoh. Then, he became the second in command so he could save the brothers who sold him as a slave. Satan was trying to get rid of Joseph, but God worked it for good. What a testimony to what God can do in our lives, if we will just trust Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 1-2 and Acts 7:22-43.
Satan wanted to use Haman to destroy the Jews, and specifically Satan wanted Mordecai dead. God worked it out so that the opposite happened. The Jews were able to destroy their enemies, and Mordecai was promoted to Haman's position as second in command in Persia. What an about face! The Jews realized this because they went from mourning to rejoicing, so they instituted the feast of Purim, which they celebrate to this day. I think we as Christians need a feats of Purim, too. Well, we really do have one don't we? It is called Easter. Satan meant to kill Jesus and solidify his control over the earth, but God raised Him from the dead, and the opposite took place. Satan was defeated once and for all. Easter should give us all hope every day.
Acts 7 begins Stephen's account of the history of God's people. He began by telling about Abraham and Joseph. In both cases God worked miraculously to bring about the opposite outcome to what we would have thought would have happened. He gave the childless Abraham a son, who became a great nation. He gave the landless people a land. He used Joseph in the process. Joseph went from being despised by his brothers to being esteemed by Pharaoh. Then, he became the second in command so he could save the brothers who sold him as a slave. Satan was trying to get rid of Joseph, but God worked it for good. What a testimony to what God can do in our lives, if we will just trust Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 1-2 and Acts 7:22-43.