THE STUDY OF WOMEN IN THE BIBLE By Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Job 27 – 29
Second Milers also read – 1 Timothy 4 – 2 Timothy 1 ; Psalm 56 – 60; Proverbs 12
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Listen to the Sunday Evening message by Evangelist William Jeffcoat.
Good morning. For the next few months, on Tuesday’s, I will be blogging about women of the Bible. I pray that you would continue to follow the Preacher’s blog each day as we study God’s word. Today we will start at the beginning with Eve
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” – (Genesis 1:27-28)
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” – (Genesis 3:1-20)
Eve. Her name is only mentioned four times in the Bible, but so many lessons can be learned by her life. She drank pure water and breathed the cleanest air. She had a perfect relationship with her husband. She lived in a beautiful garden and ate the best food. Every animal live in harmony. No death, sickness or any other problems. God walked with them everyday, and there was nothing to distract her from learning God’s word. God supplied for ALL their needs. Both Adam and Eve knew how much God loved and took care of them. But did Eve really learn God’s word? Did she really understand what God had provided for her and her husband?
I think Eve was crushed when Cain killed Abel. She realized that she had brought a sinful man into the world. Her terrible deed in the garden became even more clear to her. Each person born would sin, not only by choice, but also because of an inner urging. Everyone would face an unending battle between good and evil, all because she couldn’t resist the devil’s woo.
As I stated at the first, we are starting at the beginning and we can learn many different lessons from Eve, so let me leave you with these basic thoughts:
1. Read your Bible everyday. We need to know what God says. It’s us walking with God as Adam and Eve did. We need to stay close to God. Just like the sheep who stray away from the shepherd are easy targets, so are we when we stray to far from God.
2. Memorize God’s word. The devil is always tempting us with his crafty ways. He twisted scripture not only with Eve, but also Jesus when Jesus was in the wilderness (Matthew 4:6). If he did with them, he will with us.
3. When tempted by satan, go to God immediately. I believe if Eve would have called on God when satan came by, God would have fought the battle for her.
4. Pray everyday. Besides our spouses, our children are the most important people in our lives. We should lay them on the altar before the Lord each day and try to be the best example we can be. Remember Cain, Eve’s first born. He had a rebellious spirit like mom and dad.
5. Attend all church services. Adam and Eve were with God everyday.
We say that God is not there like he was with them, but the Bible says in Matthew 18:20: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
In closing, I want to encourage you to strengthen your relationship with the Lord with these basic steps. Encourage others to do the same. There is no better blessing then to live for the Lord.
Thank You
I John 5:13
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Gold
Today’s Passage – Job 22 – 26
Second Milers also read – 2 Thessalonians 3 – 1 Timothy 3; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Lisen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read an older post from this passage – “Did You Have Your Breakfast This Morning?”
“But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” – (Job 23:10)
“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” – (1 Peter 1:6-7)
There are several great, golden nuggets of truth in the Book of Job, and many of them are in today’s passage. I thought this morning about the statement made by Job in chapter 23, and verse 10. Job is going through the worst trial in his life. I think it would be safe to say that no other man in history was put to the test like Job. Many people have suffered the loss of health, and many others have endured the death of a child, and still more have gone through tough financial situations; but who can say that they have had to face the loss of everything they owned, and all of the children they loved, and then had to suffer through perhaps the most painful health condition known to man, all within the same time frame. Job could certainly stand alongside any man on earth, and win the “pity party” comparison. Yet, Job knew that when it was all over,that God would bring him through to the other side of the trial; and he also knew that the trial would make him a better man.
All men will endure the hardships of trials, but to experience suffering for no apparent reason can be especially difficult. Job did nothing to deserve the treatment that he was receiving at the hand of Satan, but God would use Job’s suffering to accomplish a few wonderful things. First, He would prove to Satan that there are some men who will retain their integrity, even under the most difficult of circumstances. Second, though Job was a good man, even a great man when compared among men, this trial would make him a still better man. I believe Job had a better understanding of the greatness of his Creator, and also a better grasp of his own frail humanity, as a result of this ordeal. But perhaps the greatest thing that God would reveal to us through Job’s trial, is that we can trust God. He won’t allow us to go through something that is greater than our ability to glorify Him through. He loves us. He doesn’t punish, but He does correct us at times through the trials and sufferings of life. Sometimes the trials are a direct result of sin, but they are often just God’s way of bringing us to the next level of faith. And if we will allow God to have His way in our lives, we too can come forth as gold; better servants, and better sons: more equipped to represent Him as the ambassadors of His glorious gospel.
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The Words of My Mouth
Today’s Passage – Job 19 – 21
Second Milers also read – 1 Thessalonians 4 – 2 Thessalonians 2; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
“Then Job answered and said, How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?” (Job 19:1 & 2)
You didn’t have to read long this morning to find a great truth from today’s passage. Job is in the middle of the discourse with his three ‘friends’ who are accusing him of all kinds of wickedness; adding sorrow on top of sorrows. He is already as low as he can go, but these guys continue to beat him and kick him when he is down; and their weapons are their tongues.
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. … But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:6, 8 )
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)
The Bible has so much to say about the deadly nature of the tongue. Why are we so quick to run our mouths when God tells us very plainly that we are to be slow to speak. We all could avoid much of our problems with our mouth by simply not saying anything unless it is absolutely necessary, or unless we are sure we are saying something that is edifying. If we have to speak at all maybe it would be best if we paused and prayed about what would be the best thing to say.
Job’s friends were not helping him at all; they were making him worse. Remember, the purpose for their visit was to ‘comfort’ him. Maybe they should have just listened to him; even let him vent a little. Maybe, I should try the same thing. As a pastor I need to learn to listen more; pray before speaking; and, as much as possible, tell people what God said instead of what I think.
Lord, help me not to kill or maim any more people with my tongue.
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Amos – The Last Call To Personal Holiness Part 6: Getting Enabled – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning. In our quest for personal holiness, we learned to treat everyone the same. We learned to be thankful. We learned we should obey God. In part 4, we learned that we should choose our words wisely. And in part 5, last week, we learned that we should believe God’s truth, and not the devil’s lies: it’s a sin, not an alternate life-style. Today, I want to wrap this series up; but we may re-visit Amos again in the future.
Be ye holy, for I Am holy. God said to do that. If God said to do that, which He did, don’t you think we should do that? You can see that Amos was enabled when He spoke to Amaziah…
“Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD…” (Amos 7:10-16).
Amos was enabled. We can read this today because he was enabled. 2Peter 1:21 says, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
The one who enables is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Power that God has given us (Acts 1:8). The Holy Ghost is the one who will enable us to be holy. But the choice is still up to you. The Scriptures tell us that we can grieve the Holy Ghost (Eph. 4:30) in doing the things we should not be doing, and we can quench the Holy Ghost (1Thes. 5:19) by not doing the things we should be doing. You have a choice when it comes to sin: you can say no. You have a choice when it comes to obedience: you can say yes. You see if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). We can be holy for God. The choice is yours.
Peace. (Eph. 4:30)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
I Will Trust In Him
Today’s Passage – Job 12 – 14
Second Milers also read – Philippians 4 – Colossians 1 – 3; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)
In this statement we see Job’s declaration of faith in God. Though Job certainly has not figured out why God has allowed all of this tragedy to come into his life, he plainly declares here that no matter what God does to him (or allows to be done to him), he will continue to trust Him. When you and I read this book of the Bible it is easy for us, from the perspective of history, to identify with what Job has stated here. But think for a minute with me. If it were you or me going through what Job went through, how would we be feeling about God? If God were to allow us to lose everything all at once; and then to have excruciating physical pain be placed on top of it all, how would we react? Could we say, truthfully, “yet will I trust in Him”?
A few years back, I watched a movie/documentary called Amish Grace about the Nickle Mines tragedy in Lancaster, PA a few years ago. The movie recounts the true story of a troubled man who went into an Amish school house, shooting 10 little girls and killing 5 of them. The amazing thing is that the Amish people chose to trust God’s wisdom in allowing what happened. Though it was very painful; though it took a little time for all of them to come to this decision: they chose to forgive the man that shot their children. This was certainly a modern day picture of the what Job went through. These Amish folks did not understand why God had allowed it to happened, yet they continued to keep their trust in the Lord.
Most of the time I feel that my faith is so weak, I doubt whether it could stand up to such intense suffering. I guess it will have to be the grace of God that will sustain me through those dark days. I know that difficult days lie ahead. I want to prepare for them now by getting so close to God that it will be easier to trust Him when it doesn’t seem like He is even there.
I also wanted to make a comment about the second half of verse 15. Job says that he will maintain [his] ways before him (God). I believe what Job was saying here is that though he was being severely tested by the Lord, he was still going to continue to do what he had always done. In other words, he wasn’t going to quit. He was going to keep on living for the Lord through the difficult trial. I know that when we are going through trials in life it can be very difficult to “maintain” your walk with the Lord; but it is especially important to stay close to God during the tough times. Don’t quit.
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The Daysman
Listen to last night’s message from Acts 4 – “Behold Their Threatenings”
Today’s Passage – Job 8 – 11
Second Milers also read – Ephesians 06 – Philippians 1 – 3; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Joshua 1:8
“For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.” – (Job 9:32-33)
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” – (1 Timothy 2:5)
The word “daysman” in vers 33 of chapter 9 literally means a mediator. Job is lamenting because there is no one to bridge the gap between the righteous and holy God, and a sinner like himself. He already stated in verse 20 that he could not justify himself. God became man in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as the God-man he came to justify sinners like Job, and you and me also. He was the go-between, the mediator, the one who came between God and men, so that men could come into the presence of an holy God.
Consider some of these verses regarding what Christ accomplished for us when He came to earth as a man and died for our sins:
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;” – (Matthew 27:50-51)
The veil in the temple separated men from God; but through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus, the veil was removed. Notice that the veil was torn from the top to the bottom, signifying that it was God that removed the veil that once kept man from Him.
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” – (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Jesus was fully God, yet also fully man. He understands what it is like to be tempted, because he experienced it; yet without sin. He, as our great high priest, went before us and opened up a door for us to now boldly enter into the presence of God. We can now enter into God’s presence through “the Door”; through “the Way”; through Christ.
There has always been a “daysman”, even in Job’s time; but Job may not have understood it at the time. Praise God, however, we definitely have one that we can know today!
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The Chastening of the Almighty
Today’s Passage – Job 5 – 7
Second Milers also read – Ephesians 2 – 5; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:” – (Job 5:17)
As we read the Book of Job, we will see that although Job has been put through a severe trial through no fault of his own, but he has a difficult time convincing his friends of his innocence. The more he defends himself, the more his friends are convinced that he must be guilty. I am reminded of the verse in the New Testament where Jesus admonishes us to “judge not”. Job’s friends certainly did not see the entire picture, yet they made assumptions based on the false notion that all trials are somehow caused by sin. On the other hand, Job went a little overboard in declaring his innocence. Is anyone truly innocent? Aren’t we all sinners that are deserving of judgment. The bottom line is that whatever God allows to take place in our life is better than what we truly deserve. We have no right to gripe about what God allows to come our way.
In the middle of this conversation,one of Job’s friends makes a marvelous statement, that I believe is supported by the teaching of Scripture. He says that we are to actually embrace the correction of the Lord. Now nobody enjoys correction, but we must understand that when God corrects us, He has nothing but our best interests in mind. He loves us with a perfect love, that far surpasses any love that any human parent can have for a child.
There have been many times in my life that I have experienced God’s “woodshed”; but I have learned that though the experience is not pleasant, it will make me a better child. I have learned to run to the Corrector, rather than away from Him. I will always be human, and I will always be in need of correction. It is kind of arrogant on our part to think that we are somehow beyond or above the correction of the Lord. Besides, correction is a great proof that we are His children. He only corrects us because He loves us.
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” – (Hebrews 12:5-8)
One more thought from this passage – notice verse 9 of chapter 6:
“Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!” – (Job 6:9)
Job wanted God to end his life. Whenever a person is this low, they simply can not logic their way through their trial. Job didn’t understand why he was going through what he was going through, and he couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Had God told him ahead of time why He was putting Job through this trial, and had God shared with Job what the final outcome would be, I am sure Job could have endured without much complaint; but Job just could not see clearly what was going on. We need to remember when times like this come into our lives, that we are in the hands of a loving God who is not hurting us, but helping us; and, in His time, He will deliver us.
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Lessons from The Book of Job
Today’s Passage – Job 1 – 4
Second Milers also read – Galatians 4 – 6, Ephesians 1; Psalm 21 – 25; Proverbs 5
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read an older post from today’s passage – “The Road May Be Long”
“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” – (Job 1:20-22)
Job is an amazing passage of Scripture. It helps us understand a side of suffering that perhaps we would not be able to figure out without it. Job is a man that suffered tremendously at the hand of Satan, and with the permission of God. However, the curious part about Job’s suffering was the fact that he did not do anything to cause it. In other words, the suffering was not brought on as a result of his sin or as some type of a judgment from God. On the contrary, Job was put through the fire because he was a righteous man. He was a man that “feared God and eschewed (put away; kept it far from him) evil”. We like to think that if someone lives a life like Job lived that his life will be free from problems; however, this is not the case.
From this passage, we can learn some things about the Christian life:
1 If you live your life fearing God and eschewing evil, you will have the blessing of God. When we speak of Job, we always focus on his season of suffering. However, Job’s life overall was a life that was blessed tremendously by the Lord. He did, in fact, have that hedge of protection around him and his family for most of his life.
2 If you live a life like Job lived you will have the attention of God; but Satan will also be personally aware of you. Satan had, in fact, considered Job. I don’t know if Satan even knows my name. I’m sure there are some devils who know me well; but Satan? Job, who is neither omniscient nor omnipresent, had been paying close attention to Job.
3 Satan, if given the opportunity, will destroy you. He hates you almost as much as he hates God. The good news is that Satan is on a leash. He cannot do what God does not permit him to do.
4 God will only permit Satan to do what you are able to handle.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
5 God will eventually remove the suffering. He gave back Job double of everything He allowed Satan to take from him. God even gave him ten more children in addition to the ten that were waiting for him in Heaven.
6. People may not understand what you are going through, or why you are going through it. Job’s wife wanted him to just give up, and Job’s friends accused him of all kinds of bad things, which simply were not true.
Learn these lessons from Job. When suffering comes your way, don’t think that God is not aware or not even personally involved in it. Try to learn the lesson that God may be trying to teach you through the suffering and glorify Him in the suffering. Our God is a loving Heavenly Father who only does what is right. Trust Him!
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Sometimes We Reap More Than We Sow
Today’s Passage – Esther 6 – 10
Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 13, Galatians 1 – 3; Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
“Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.” – (Esther 9:5 )
“But the other Jews that were in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,” – (Esther 9:16)
“So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.” – (Esther 7:10)
In today’s reading we read about the destruction of Haman, his family, and all others who would try to hurt the people of God. Remember, in the previous chapters we read how that Haman had a carefully devised plan to have all of the Jews in the Kingdom of Persia put to death. He even built a special gallows to have Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, displayed on. His plan ended up destroying only him and his kind; and he ended up being hung on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. He not only got back what he gave to others, he got back far more than he gave. The lost world will reap far more in this life, and especially in eternity, what they have sown.
Christians today need to remember that the principle of sowing and reaping still exists. Thank the Lord as God’s children, because of His wonderful grace, we won’t reap nearly the amount of judgment as compared to the sin that we have sown; but we will reap some in this life. However, we can also reap back a lot of good if we sow it. As the people of God today, we should be concerned with sowing love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to the people around us. I am sure that there will be times when we will want to have those things come back to us. And the beutiful thing is that the Christian will reap much more in eternity what he has sown in this life. The Bible idicates that the rewards in heaven, and to some degree, even in this life, are multiplied exceedingly.
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It’s A “God Thing”
Today’s Passage – Esther 1 – 5
Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 12; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3
“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13 – 14)
Esther was in a tough spot here, wasn’t she. She had to risk the good thing she had going in order to confront the King regarding the impending destruction of her people, the Jews. Mordecai reminded her that the very reason why God had placed her in this position was for this very purpose. She had an opportunity given her by God to represent Him; to be His ambassador.
Did you ever find yourself in a situation where you knew that God had placed in a specific place at a specific time for a specific purpose? There have been a few times like that in my life. Sometimes I call them Divine appointments. To think that the God of the universe has chosen you for a particular part of his plan. It sends shivers down my spine. Sometimes, when something unexpected or even unpleasant comes your way, it could be that “it’s a God thing”. In other words God is positioning you to do something wonderful for Him. So be careful how you react to those negative situations that come your way.
I also wonder, though, how many times that God has strategically positioned me to fulfill His will, and I missed it. Maybe, I just did not recognize the opportunity; maybe I was not sensitive enough to the leading of the Spirit of God; maybe I was just downright disobedient to His will. I know that as I sit here this morning writing this thought, it is my desire to be used of God in these situations. I want to be given more opportunities by my redeemer to represent Him on this earth. It is my prayer that He will use me.
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