Monthly Archives: September 2017

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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Daily Devotionals

The Story of Queen Esther, Part Two

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     Vashti  Deposed.

Esther 1:13-22

     We read here that the king was greatly upset by Vashti’s refusal to come to the party, and so were all his princes. They all felt that it would create a precedent where all the women in the land would go into a revolt against their husbands!                                             

They felt that if Vashti were not made an example of, that she would become a role model for all the women of the day to follow,  in disobeying  their husbands.

How much we see this today among wives who want to do their own thing, even in many cases to making their own way in life without their husbands! The things that are written in the New Testament  (and remember that these things were not authored by sour old men as some people say, but by the Living God) truly make for a happy home. When all else fails, turn to the Maker’s Handbook!

God says many things that cut right across the popular thoughts of today. Things like “women fitting in with  their husbands plans”….(Ephesians 5:22 Living Bible), that is, not taking the lead out of his hands. How much do we wives respect and praise our husbands up? Nothing makes a man feel better than to know  he is looked up to by his family (Ephesians 5:33b). Not only that, but children will follow this example as well.

One of the things that God takes notice of and appreciates more than anything else in a woman is a quiet and gentle spirit that comes from deep inside her. This is classed as being “precious” to God. Probably because God knows it doesn’t come naturally to we women!! We have to work on it and God appreciates the effort we make in this direction!  (1 Peter 3:1-4)

Vashti paid the price for her  revolt  (for whatever reason, valid or not), and was banished from being queen. Unless we treat our husbands like a king, we won’t be treated as a queen!

God’s ways  are right and lead to life,                                                                           None more so than for a wife,                                                                                      To keep our spirit calm and meek,                                                                                  Is God’s desire for us to seek!

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Daily Devotionals

The Story of Queen Esther, Part One

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Esther 1:1-12….       We are going to be following the steps of a godly girl in a heathen country, and see how she fared in facing evil head on and in doing so , was able to deliver her people…

God’s people had left Him out of their lives and had turned to follow heathen ways. Because of this, God allowed them to be taken captive to this strange land with another language and different customs. But there among the people of the king’s court, were those who had come from the land of Israel as captives, and who had risen to positions of authority.  A man called Daniel was one of these, and we  see how God intervened in his life as he lived in this place. God does not allow His plans for His people to be thwarted and He only allows evil to go so far.

         Our story starts, not with the character of the one we are going to study, but with a vastly different type of woman!   

The scene is set  in the opulence of an Eastern king’s court.     The splendours and splurgings of King Ahasuerus are graphically described in this chapter. The beauty of his palace and the richness  and length of  his feast is beyond our imagination.  He  called together all his officials and princes and put on a tremendous banquet for them. After that was over, he then put on another feast which was supplied with wine in abundance.

At the same time, Queen Vashti put on a feast for the  women of the court. After a whole week of feasting and drinking had gone on, the king decided to call for the queen to come and show her beauty to the men of the court. There are several ways that we can look at Vashti’s reaction to this royal command…..she may have arrogantly refused the king’s command or it may have been from the modesty of not appearing before a drunken crowd of men. Whatever it was, she refused the king’s command and paid for it dearly.

Vashti the queen refused to bring,                                                                          Her homage to her lord and king;                                                                          Whate’er her reason, we do not know,                                                                  The king then said she had to go!

Random Devotional Thoughts

Thoughts from PROVERBS  ONE….(v.1-6)

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PROVERBS  ONE….(v.1-6)

Verses 1-6                                          James 1:5

             Solomon was the wisest man who  ever lived. His wisdom was a special gift from God, bestowed on him at his request. But knowledge alone was not enough….. it had to go along with  knowing God and obedience  to Him.

So we see that Solomon’s great desire was to pass onto his sons the wisdom that God had given to him. But the wisdom that he had would do no-one any good unless they were willing to receive it, to know it, and to perceive it…. in other words, take it and use it!

God’s wisdom gives prudence to the simple….. do you feel as though you don’t have enough brains to understand God’s truths? Have you ever asked Him to give you the wisdom you lack? James says that we don’t have because we don’t ask! These things don’t just fall into our laps with no effort on our part….. there is no such thing as instant spirituality!

Salvation is instant, but God’s WISDOM only comes with a conscious effort on our part…. asking and seeking, and then obeying and doing it. The first steps in being wise are to listen and seek to increase one’s knowledge in the things of God.

If you take one step towards your  God.                                                                   He will take more than you’ve ever trod                                                               Read His Word,  obey its way,                                                                                    And walk in it from day to day.