Category Archives: Morning Musings

Morning Musings

The Story of Queen Esther (Part Five)

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    Enter Haman 

Esther 3: 1-15

    We now  see  the villain of the story come into view. Haman was a very ambitious and proud man who couldn’t stand the sight of  Mordecai outside the king’s palace….

When all the other men would bow and scrape to him, Mordecai remained upright. This made Haman boil inside and when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, that made him even angrier. Who did he think he was? So he plotted to destroy all the Jews.

The king thought so much of Haman that he agreed to do whatever he suggested. Haman made his plans and presented them to the king. The date for the slaughter of all Jews was set and  notification sent out.

Haman certainly is a type of Satan who goes around among believers doing all sorts of mischief and looking for those he can devour and trip up. Peter says that Satan  is like a roaring lion and we are told to resist him firmly (1 Peter 5:8-9). The only way we can do this is to be firmly based in the teachings of Scripture. This is called the sword of God and it’s no use holding it without using it! (Ephesians 6:11-17)

So we see Haman rubbing his hands with glee at the thought of getting rid of the man he hated so much as he was  going to the king with his request!

Haman came in  filled  up with pride, But Mordecai he couldn’t abide;

To bow and scrape he’d just  refuse, So Haman planned to kill  the Jews.

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Daily Devotionals, Morning Musings

The Story of Queen Esther, Part Three.

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     Enter Esther

Esther 2:1-10

     It is wonderful the way that God works in lives and the affairs of people. Here we see the stage being set for a godly woman to change the course of history….

God saw to it that Vashti was deposed and that Esther was among those chosen to be groomed for the position of queen. Not only that, but the timing was right in the political arena as well with the new prime minister not having risen to his zenith of power.

We see that Mordecai the Jew had some sort of job in or around the palace. Mordecai in this story is a type of God’s Holy Spirit who cares for and protects God’s people. Mordecai had the guardianship of his beautiful young cousin and she came to the notice of the officials who were looking around for girls to be groomed in court protocol  to be the next queen.

Esther had such a sweet disposition and pretty face, that everyone liked her. Not only was she a pretty girl, but she was obedient to her cousin when he told her not to say that she was a Jewess.

As believers, we must be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we read the Scriptures, so we can be a blessing to others.

Esther was right in time and place,                                                                               With her sweet  smile  and pretty face;                                                                     She charmed the prince with winsome ways,                                                 Learning graces for future days.

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Morning Musings

Doing God’s Work.

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 Man TalkingWe heard recently of an itinerant preacher who had been moving around among churches teaching that simply to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bible teaches, is not enough for a person to become a Christian. The part of the verse that was quoted as teaching this, says…. “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12-13) The next verse goes on to say that “it is GOD who works in you to do His good pleasure”, so we can see from this that the works referred to are nothing to do with what we can do, but what God chooses to do through us!

The man telling us this story had worked with building fibreglass boats for many years, and he pointed out that when working with fibreglass, it will stay ready to use in its container while it is untouched, for many months. To make it work, it must  have a catalyst added to it, and then it begins to do its job. In the same way, a person who repents of his sin, receives the Holy Spirit and then can begin to work for the Lord.

But if we slip up and go back into our old ways, we grieve the Holy Spirit , and He then cannot do His work through us….it is as though a neutralizer has been added to the mix and the fibreglass mixture is good for nothing.

In our lives it is the times when we miss our daily Bible reading and get too busy to go to church, that we get cold in heart and we become good for nothing as far as our work for the Lord goes. God cannot use someone who is too busy to keep in touch with Him. It is HIS work that counts, not ours! Let’s take this as our challenge for this month and sort ourselves out!

Morning Musings

Choices!

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petee006   Another year has begun. Whether we like it or not, 2016 has gone for ever. For some it is a relief to be able to turn our backs on what has gone on last year, while others will have had a relatively good year with no disasters or bad news to rock their boat.

One thing is certain, no-one knows what is going to happen in this brand-new year of 2017….  but we DO know one thing, we are going to have to make many choices as this year proceeds. Some of us will make choices on the spur of the moment that will affect us for the rest of our lives; others will think  more carefully before making their choices. Some will be forced into making hard choices and ones they would sooner not have to consider, while others will be looking forwards eagerly to the result of their choices that have perhaps already been made, or that they hope they will be making.

Whatever we face, let us always remember that there is One who knows the end from the beginning. He has told us to ask Him for His wisdom in making our choices, and He will give it to us liberally and freely  (James 1:5-6). We are also told that we must give thanks for the answer we get when making our requests….it may not be what we want, but it will be for the best in the long run. God will give us His peace if we leave the answer to Him (Philippians 4:6-7). Finally, we are told that if we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart.  This is because our desires will then become what He desires for us! (Psalm 37:3-5) .

Have you noticed that in each of these Bible references, there are conditions to God’s promises in helping us to make our choices the right choices? We have to ask, give thanks for the answer, and delight in what He gives us! Let’s make sure that we take these thoughts with us as we move on into the New Year!

 

 

 

Morning Musings

Opinions versus Facts.

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busin231     We all have opinions about things….very strong opinions in some cases. But we have to make sure that our opinions are based on facts, and not just on our feelings! I’ve noticed that some journalists reporting on the radio, keep passing their opinions on certain news items….we aren’t interested in what they think or feel, we want to know the news! Facts, not opinions!

Opinions can very easily become convictions, and if they aren’t based on the truth, and  are wrong, then all our talk is worth nothing.  People aren’t prepared to die for an opinion, but they WILL die for a conviction….we see this continually today in the people who become suicide bombers to promote their beliefs.

Morning Musings, Uncategorized

Who’s Going to Listen to Him?

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girls-huggingTwo men were talking together about the state of the world, the state of the country and even the individual’s state, on talk back radio. Everything was doom and gloom, with no real solution in sight. One man said (as though it was a last resort),  “Well, I suppose you could always listen to Jesus, but no-one takes any notice of Him!”

The other one brushed that comment aside, and said “There’s always music that could enthuse people I suppose, what about Stevie Wonder?”

They didn’t realise how much their comments held! What if everyone in the world DID follow the teachings of Jesus… “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind and with all your soul, and your neighbour as yourself!”

There would be no more war and no need for armies, no need for police, no need for Children’s Services to supervise homes for child abuse, no need for courts to operate, no need for anywhere the amount of hospital emergencies that deal with domestic disputes and fights!

We DO have the answer, but it must start from within, for the heart of man to be renewed by our Man of Wonder, the Lord Jesus Christ! But how true the second man’s comment was….  “No-one listens to Him!”

WHY? Why won’t men listen to the One Who created them and Who has all the answers? The One Who has never done them any harm, and yet they shut their ears to His words and advice! He has even given us His book, the Maker’s Handbook, to tell us how to overcome the problems we find in life….let’s make sure we read it and do as He says!

Morning Musings

What Are Your Seven Most Important Things?

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        waterfall5                  This story came through my mail box the other day, and it is too good to keep there……think carefully about what it says…..

A teacher once asked his class to write down the seven wonders of the world. After some thought, they came up with these answers….

  1. Taj Mahal; 2. Egypt’s Great Pyramids; 3. Grand Canyon; 4. Panama Canal; 5. Empire State Building; 6. St. Peters in Rome; 7. China’s Great Wall.

As the teacher was picking the papers up he noticed that one girl was still writing and asked why she wasn’t finished yet. She replied that there were so many she was having trouble choosing the top seven. He picked up her paper, and read out the top seven she had written …

” 1. To See; 2. To Hear; 3. To Touch; 4. To Taste; 5. To Smell; 6. To Laugh; 7. To Love.”

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as too simple and ordinary to mention, and take for granted every day, are truly wondrous!

The most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

 

Morning Musings

Waters Flow….

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304The discussion at Bible Study got on to water, and rivers. We were reminded how important water is to the human race, and in fact to all life on this planet. Jesus Christ said that He is the Water of Life, and that all spiritual life comes from Him

There are many forms of water…from ice to steam; from calm to rough, and each has some significance. Ice preserves; steam softens; calm speaks of the good times we have and rough waters take us through the trials and troubles that dog our footsteps as humans.

Rivers water the land, and provide drink for animals and humans alike….how dependent we all are on water! And the Water of Life is just as necessary for mankind, for without it we will never have the eternal life that God supplies through His Son, Jesus Christ. All we have to do to get this, is to ask for it, and then thank God for His provision. As simple as that.