Background - Chapter 7
The king and Haman went to the banquet that Queen Esther had prepared for them. On the second day of the banquet the king again asked Esther a question. The question was "what is your petition Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done." (Esther 7:2) Esther answered and said "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my request for we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be anniliated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue although the enemy could never compensate for the kings loss." (Esther 7:3-4) The king asked "who is he and where is he, who would have presume in his heart to do such a thing?" (Esther 7:5) Esher told the king all about how this man Haman was the person. The king gets up walks away but Haman still stays. He begins to beg for his life in a joking manner. He even tries to hurt Esther. To the rescue was the king. He said "will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?" (Esther 7:8b) One of the Eunuchs Harbonah told the king about the gallows for Mordecai. The king said "hang him on it." (Esher 7:9b) And they did as the king said.
After Thought
Esther learned that if you obey God and trust in Him, He will protect you. In this chapter a lot happened. Esther used her bravery to tell the king about Haman. Haman tries to hurt Esther. Then the king hung Haman on the gallows for Mordecai. Another lesson learned is one act of bravery can lead to bigger things.
Background - Chapter 8
Now that Haman was gone the decree wasn't gone. So Queen Esther went before the king once again. This time she pleaded that the awful decree be no longer in act. The king said "indeed I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hung him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews as you please in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signature... what is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can provoke." (Esther 8:7-8) Mordecai was given Haman's position and his house.
After Thoughts
When you read this chapter you think about how God blessed Esther and Mordecai. They got the king's favor. When you put your trust in God many things can happen. That's why Esther is not your average girl. She did stuff to the extreme and knew the consequences.
Thanks for coming along on the journey through Esther!
Submitted by Sarah.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Esther - Not Your Average Girl Part III
Background - Chapter 5
Esther puts on her royal garments to go see the king. When she enters, the king is well pleased with her. He holds out his golden septer so she may come forth. In acknowledgement she touches it. The king asks "what is it Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom will be given you." (Esther 5:3) Esther's request was that the king and Haman come to a banquet she has prepared. At the banquet the king asks again what she wanted. She replied the same answer. As Haman left the banquet he saw Mordecai at the kings gate. Mordecai doesn't bow or rise. Haman keeps from saying anything and goes home. At home Haman brags to his friends and wife. He brags about how the king likes him better, how he got invited to dine with the king and queen. Then he brags about the satisfaction of seeing the Jew Mordecai sitting at the kings gate. His wife and friend tell Haman "to build 75 ft tall gallows and ask the king to hang Mordecai in the morning then go to the Queens banquet." (Esther 5:14)
After Thoughts
In this chapter you get two sides. First you get Esther being brave and going to the king. Then you get Haman's plan to destroy Mordecai. We still don't have all of our questions answered. So let's continue, shall we!!
Background- Chapter 6
That very night the king couldn't sleep. He commanded the chronicles of his reign to be read to him. While he listened, Mordecai's heroic action was read. (Remember when Mordecai saved the kings life?) The king asked if Mordecai had been honored for his action. The attendants said "no". The king wanted an opinion so he asked "who is in the court?" the attendant said "Haman". Te king wanted his opinion. When the king asked what should be done to a man the king wants to honor, Haman thought of himself. Haman said "for the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest on its head. Ten let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the kings most noble princes. Let them ride the man the king delights to honor and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'this is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'" (Esther 6:7-9) Te king said go and do just that for Mordecai the Jew. And Haman did not do it happily, but he did.
After Thoughts
Like everything else, God plans this chapter well. Two thumbs up God!! If the king would have slept he wouldn't have known that Mordecai saved his life. It was perfect timing because Haman was on his way to talk to the king about hanging Mordecai. So Haman's ideas weren't for him but for Mordecai. We'll see what happens in the next chapter as we continue to study Esther - not your average girl!
Submitted by Sarah.
Esther puts on her royal garments to go see the king. When she enters, the king is well pleased with her. He holds out his golden septer so she may come forth. In acknowledgement she touches it. The king asks "what is it Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom will be given you." (Esther 5:3) Esther's request was that the king and Haman come to a banquet she has prepared. At the banquet the king asks again what she wanted. She replied the same answer. As Haman left the banquet he saw Mordecai at the kings gate. Mordecai doesn't bow or rise. Haman keeps from saying anything and goes home. At home Haman brags to his friends and wife. He brags about how the king likes him better, how he got invited to dine with the king and queen. Then he brags about the satisfaction of seeing the Jew Mordecai sitting at the kings gate. His wife and friend tell Haman "to build 75 ft tall gallows and ask the king to hang Mordecai in the morning then go to the Queens banquet." (Esther 5:14)
After Thoughts
In this chapter you get two sides. First you get Esther being brave and going to the king. Then you get Haman's plan to destroy Mordecai. We still don't have all of our questions answered. So let's continue, shall we!!
Background- Chapter 6
That very night the king couldn't sleep. He commanded the chronicles of his reign to be read to him. While he listened, Mordecai's heroic action was read. (Remember when Mordecai saved the kings life?) The king asked if Mordecai had been honored for his action. The attendants said "no". The king wanted an opinion so he asked "who is in the court?" the attendant said "Haman". Te king wanted his opinion. When the king asked what should be done to a man the king wants to honor, Haman thought of himself. Haman said "for the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest on its head. Ten let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the kings most noble princes. Let them ride the man the king delights to honor and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'this is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'" (Esther 6:7-9) Te king said go and do just that for Mordecai the Jew. And Haman did not do it happily, but he did.
After Thoughts
Like everything else, God plans this chapter well. Two thumbs up God!! If the king would have slept he wouldn't have known that Mordecai saved his life. It was perfect timing because Haman was on his way to talk to the king about hanging Mordecai. So Haman's ideas weren't for him but for Mordecai. We'll see what happens in the next chapter as we continue to study Esther - not your average girl!
Submitted by Sarah.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Esther - Not Your Average Girl Part II
Background Chapter 3
After Esther was crowned queen, the king honored a man named Haman. He was an Agagite, an enemy of the Jews. King Xerxus gave Haman a high position. The position was the highest anyone could receive. Mordecai would not bow to Haman. The royal officials asked Mordecai to do so. The officials told Haman about Mordecai. Haman was furious. He went to the king. Haman said “there is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the kings best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasurer for the men who carry out this business.” (Esther 3:8-9 NIV) The king granted Haman what he wished. Word got out all through the kingdoms the new law said all the Jews would be killed.
After Thoughts
As you can see this kind of was a big problem. God’s people were going to die. Who could help them? Was there any help? We’ll see in the next chapter!
Background Chapter 4
Mordecai was horrified when he found out. He tore his clothes and put on sack cloth and yelling in the streets. He wasn’t the only one, most all the Jews were. Esther found out through Hathach. He met Mordecai out in front of the gate. Mordecai wanted Esther to go before the king and tell him she was there to represent her people. Esther said you have to be summoned to the king or you die. Mordecai encourages her by saying “and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b NIV) Esther said “go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will go fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:15-16 NIV)
After Thoughts
Esther is very brave in doing this. She’s saving her people, hopefully. In this chapter there are two very important quotes – Esther 4:14b and Esther 4:15-16. With Esther be able to go before the king? Will she die? Will love save her? Will her people be killed or saved? All these questions. Well tune in here tomorrow and see what happens.
Submitted by Sarah Swiney, age 14
After Esther was crowned queen, the king honored a man named Haman. He was an Agagite, an enemy of the Jews. King Xerxus gave Haman a high position. The position was the highest anyone could receive. Mordecai would not bow to Haman. The royal officials asked Mordecai to do so. The officials told Haman about Mordecai. Haman was furious. He went to the king. Haman said “there is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the kings best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasurer for the men who carry out this business.” (Esther 3:8-9 NIV) The king granted Haman what he wished. Word got out all through the kingdoms the new law said all the Jews would be killed.
After Thoughts
As you can see this kind of was a big problem. God’s people were going to die. Who could help them? Was there any help? We’ll see in the next chapter!
Background Chapter 4
Mordecai was horrified when he found out. He tore his clothes and put on sack cloth and yelling in the streets. He wasn’t the only one, most all the Jews were. Esther found out through Hathach. He met Mordecai out in front of the gate. Mordecai wanted Esther to go before the king and tell him she was there to represent her people. Esther said you have to be summoned to the king or you die. Mordecai encourages her by saying “and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b NIV) Esther said “go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will go fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:15-16 NIV)
After Thoughts
Esther is very brave in doing this. She’s saving her people, hopefully. In this chapter there are two very important quotes – Esther 4:14b and Esther 4:15-16. With Esther be able to go before the king? Will she die? Will love save her? Will her people be killed or saved? All these questions. Well tune in here tomorrow and see what happens.
Submitted by Sarah Swiney, age 14
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Esther - Not Your Average Girl
Welcome! Over the next several days you will be hearing from my daughter, Sarah. She has been reading the book of Esther and asked if she could write something for my blog. Of course I said yes! She has been excited about it and I know you will enjoy her thoughts on Esther - not your average girl!
Submitted by Sarah Swiney, age 14.
Background Chapter 1
King Xerxus had a time of feasting for his 127 provinces prosperity. The people wanted to see the queen. Queen Vashti was holding her own feast but in protest. King Xerxus got mad and didn’t know what to do. The people kept yelling for the queen. She wouldn’t come. The king asked his royal advisors what to do. One of them said if the queen gets away with this then all the wives in the kingdom will rebel and say “but Queen Vashti didn’t come when the king asked.” Meanwhile the people were still cheering for the queen. King Xerxus yelled over all of them saying “there is no more queen.”
After Thoughts
Even though Esther wasn’t directly in that chapter, God was working in a strange way. You probably thinking why couldn’t Queen Vashti do God’s job. Well, there’s multiple answers to that question. One could be the queen wasn’t a Jew. She might have not liked them. Oops, did I spoil the story? My bad. Here’s a reason that doesn’t give the story away. She probably didn’t worship the One True God.
Background Chapter 2
Remember that King Xerxus was mad at the queen which was Queen Vashti. After the king’s anger reduced, he remembered what Queen Vashti did. The king’s personal attendants proposed an idea. The idea was bring all the pretty women from all the kingdom. The women would go through twelve months of beauty treatments. The king would then pick a new queen. Meanwhile there was in a Citadel of Susa a Jew named Mordecai. His ancestor Kish was a captive of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, also called Esther. Mordecai took in Hadassah as his own when her parents died. Hadassah was taken for the royal queen search. Mordecai told her to use Esther, not Hadassah and not to tell anyone she was a Jew. Now Esther followed all the instructions that her cousin said. Esther earned the trust and respect of Hegai the king’s eunuch. In the tenth month Esther went to see the king. The king liked Esther over all the other women. He put a crown on her head and made her queen.
After Thoughts
This was an important chapter because we meet Esther. How does an ordinary girl become queen and so soon? There probably were hundreds of other girls he could have picked. Only God could do such a thing and for a very special reason.
I can’t wait to find out. Come back tomorrow and let’s continue this wonderful bible story.
Submitted by Sarah Swiney, age 14.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Don't Grow Weary in the Waiting Part II
Welcome back! Let's continue on the topic of waiting.
Starting about one month before my due date with my son Stephen, I was asking God to please help me deliver this child today! Every day I would ask God this. As the weeks went by, I would plead with God. My prayer in the morning would be to let this be the day I would deliver. I would beg God. I was so ready. As my due date approached, and passed, I would plead that much harder with God. I literally felt if I did not deliver that child this moment, I would burst. To be honest, I was even feeling a little "short" withGod because He had not helped me to deliver before now. I was pregnant with a promise of another child. But the end was taking entirely too long. I felt like God could have done something to bring it about sooner, but for some reason He did not. It was not time yet. After delivering my son, all thoughts of what I went through and felt while I was waiting vanished. I just concentrated on the joy of holding my promise and taking care of my promise.
The promises He gives us has to take hold and grow within us. Sometimes He chooses to bring it about immediately. But more often, we have to wait. When I was pregnant with my promise of a son, I wanted to brith that promise when I felt I was ready. I can remember feeling as if my insides would burst if I did not deliver this child right this moment. God gives us the promise. And God does the birthing of the promise. It does not always happen on our timetable. If we can get this inour spirits, it will save undue anguish, restlessness, and worry. We must come to the place that when God gives us the promise that we are at rest until He births that promise.
Now we do need to ask God what He wants us to do in the meantime. When I was pregnant, I had to take care of my body. I had to take prenatal vitamins, get plenty of rest, and eat right. I had to visit the doctor in a routine basis. There were things I had to do to take care of the promise God gave me. If I did not follow what the doctor told me to do, it could result in an aborted promise. So it is with all the promises that God gives us. We must follow His directions in getting to the "delivery day". We must have routine visits, or checkups with God. And these visits or checkups are not one sided. We can not do all the talking and not allow Him to speak back to us. We tell Him of our concerns and He tells us the answers.
I am waiting on things today. What about you? What are you waiting on? I want to encourage you to not grow weary in the waiting. Your promise, need or anything else could be just around the corner. Continue to stand strong while you are waiting. Continue to pray and read scripture. Continue to do what you know to do, what God has directed you to do. When you deliver your promise or your need is met, you will be so thankful that you did not give up while you were waiting.
A song that I recently discovered and love is about waiting. I heard it in the movie FireProof. It is titled While I'm waiting and it is sung by John Waller. Here are the lyrics:
Starting about one month before my due date with my son Stephen, I was asking God to please help me deliver this child today! Every day I would ask God this. As the weeks went by, I would plead with God. My prayer in the morning would be to let this be the day I would deliver. I would beg God. I was so ready. As my due date approached, and passed, I would plead that much harder with God. I literally felt if I did not deliver that child this moment, I would burst. To be honest, I was even feeling a little "short" withGod because He had not helped me to deliver before now. I was pregnant with a promise of another child. But the end was taking entirely too long. I felt like God could have done something to bring it about sooner, but for some reason He did not. It was not time yet. After delivering my son, all thoughts of what I went through and felt while I was waiting vanished. I just concentrated on the joy of holding my promise and taking care of my promise.
The promises He gives us has to take hold and grow within us. Sometimes He chooses to bring it about immediately. But more often, we have to wait. When I was pregnant with my promise of a son, I wanted to brith that promise when I felt I was ready. I can remember feeling as if my insides would burst if I did not deliver this child right this moment. God gives us the promise. And God does the birthing of the promise. It does not always happen on our timetable. If we can get this inour spirits, it will save undue anguish, restlessness, and worry. We must come to the place that when God gives us the promise that we are at rest until He births that promise.
Now we do need to ask God what He wants us to do in the meantime. When I was pregnant, I had to take care of my body. I had to take prenatal vitamins, get plenty of rest, and eat right. I had to visit the doctor in a routine basis. There were things I had to do to take care of the promise God gave me. If I did not follow what the doctor told me to do, it could result in an aborted promise. So it is with all the promises that God gives us. We must follow His directions in getting to the "delivery day". We must have routine visits, or checkups with God. And these visits or checkups are not one sided. We can not do all the talking and not allow Him to speak back to us. We tell Him of our concerns and He tells us the answers.
I am waiting on things today. What about you? What are you waiting on? I want to encourage you to not grow weary in the waiting. Your promise, need or anything else could be just around the corner. Continue to stand strong while you are waiting. Continue to pray and read scripture. Continue to do what you know to do, what God has directed you to do. When you deliver your promise or your need is met, you will be so thankful that you did not give up while you were waiting.
A song that I recently discovered and love is about waiting. I heard it in the movie FireProof. It is titled While I'm waiting and it is sung by John Waller. Here are the lyrics:
I'm waiting,
I'm waiting on you, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord
Blessings,
Donna
Don't Grow Weary in the Waiting
The definition of weary is: tired; worn out.
Have you ever been waiting on God for something? It could be a promise, a need met or anything else. We are all gong ho in the beginning. We are believing the promises. We are believing that God is going to bring it to pass. We are positive, assured. We boast to others in what we believe.
But then time passes. Too much time, we say. Why hasn't God already moved? Why hasn't He already done what He said He would do? I don't know how much more I can take. I don't know how much longer I can hold on. Our insides feel as if they will burst. When God!!!
We know that God can still do what we need. But by now, we are not as positive, not as assured. We do not boast to others. We know, but perhaps we do not believe as strongly as we did in the beginning. We never thought we would get to this point and God not come through, as we needed. We feel that we are coming down to the wire. All our resources are depleted. We no longer see the end in sight. We ask again "When God!"
What do we need to do at this point? Keep waiting. At this point, there is nothing that we in oursleves can do. It is all up to God. He knows the times and seasons. As the saying goes, He is never late, never early, but always on time. He really does know what is best for us. we can not loose faith. We cannot loose hope. We have to keep trusting that He will come through, on His time, not ours.
Bible examples of people who grew weary:
Have you ever been waiting on God for something? It could be a promise, a need met or anything else. We are all gong ho in the beginning. We are believing the promises. We are believing that God is going to bring it to pass. We are positive, assured. We boast to others in what we believe.
But then time passes. Too much time, we say. Why hasn't God already moved? Why hasn't He already done what He said He would do? I don't know how much more I can take. I don't know how much longer I can hold on. Our insides feel as if they will burst. When God!!!
We know that God can still do what we need. But by now, we are not as positive, not as assured. We do not boast to others. We know, but perhaps we do not believe as strongly as we did in the beginning. We never thought we would get to this point and God not come through, as we needed. We feel that we are coming down to the wire. All our resources are depleted. We no longer see the end in sight. We ask again "When God!"
What do we need to do at this point? Keep waiting. At this point, there is nothing that we in oursleves can do. It is all up to God. He knows the times and seasons. As the saying goes, He is never late, never early, but always on time. He really does know what is best for us. we can not loose faith. We cannot loose hope. We have to keep trusting that He will come through, on His time, not ours.
Bible examples of people who grew weary:
- Sarah - She got tired of waiting on God and took matters into her hands. By her doing so, her decision had far-reaching consequences. Ishmael was not the promised son. God had not forgotten Sarah. He had a perfect timetable in mind. Several years later He gave Sarah a son just as He promised. Sarah shows us not to mess up our lives with do-it-yourself projects.
- Hannah - She waited for a dream to come true, the dream of a child. Her husband did not seem to understand her distress. Nobody around her seemed to understand how she felt. She went to God about her distress and her prayers were answered. Her first prayer was a prayer of distress. Her second prayer was a song of praise to God who gave her her dream. Hannah shows us that we must concentrate on God rather than on our need. God's timing does not always coincide with our immediate plans. Sometimes His timing requires that we wait and hope.
- Joseph - God spoke to Joseph when he was just a boy concerning elevation and honor. He went through a lot before obtaining God's spoken promise, much more than we could handle. He was sold into slavery, placed in prison, and much more. Yet he held on to the spoken word of God, despite his current circumstances.
We will continue this topic next time.
Blessings,
Donna
Friday, July 10, 2009
True Beauty
Recently a show was on TV about inside beauty. The competition involved beautiful people but the challenges were geared for the inner beauty to shine.
It got me to thinking about myself. Am I beautiful on the inside? In the mornings on the way to work I would pray “God, help me to be beautiful on the inside today.” Am I always beautiful on the inside? No I am not. But that should not stop me from striving to be that way. Are you beautiful on the inside? If not, don’t let that stop you from striving to be beautiful on the inside.
What constitutes being beautiful on the inside? Several characteristics immediately come to mind: having the Fruit of the Spirit; helping others; saying nice things; having good thoughts; loving; sweet, humility. Can you think of others? Are these characteristics evident in our lives?
In searching on the topic of true beauty, I came across the following:
· Sophia Loren says that, "Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”
· Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way, "Though we search the world over for the beautiful, we find it within or we find it not."
· True beauty is having good character.
· True beauty comes from the inside.
· True beauty comes from self confidence.
The gospel singer, Mandisa, sings a song titled True Beauty. Below are some of the lyrics.
What’s inside of you, what’s inside of me?
The hands that made the moon and the stars
The mountains and the seas
Made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously
Let the whole world see your true beauty
The whole world see your true beauty
It’s the love in your heart, the peace in your soul
The hope in your smile lets the whole world know
This little light you gotta let it shine
Let’s adorn ourselves with the inner beauty that God desires for us.
According to God's Word, "Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn't last, but a woman [or man] who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised." Proverbs 31:30.
Father, please help me to be a beautiful person on the inside and so live that the beauty and love of Jesus will show and shine through me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.
Blessings,
Donna
It got me to thinking about myself. Am I beautiful on the inside? In the mornings on the way to work I would pray “God, help me to be beautiful on the inside today.” Am I always beautiful on the inside? No I am not. But that should not stop me from striving to be that way. Are you beautiful on the inside? If not, don’t let that stop you from striving to be beautiful on the inside.
What constitutes being beautiful on the inside? Several characteristics immediately come to mind: having the Fruit of the Spirit; helping others; saying nice things; having good thoughts; loving; sweet, humility. Can you think of others? Are these characteristics evident in our lives?
In searching on the topic of true beauty, I came across the following:
· Sophia Loren says that, "Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”
· Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way, "Though we search the world over for the beautiful, we find it within or we find it not."
· True beauty is having good character.
· True beauty comes from the inside.
· True beauty comes from self confidence.
The gospel singer, Mandisa, sings a song titled True Beauty. Below are some of the lyrics.
What’s inside of you, what’s inside of me?
The hands that made the moon and the stars
The mountains and the seas
Made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously
Let the whole world see your true beauty
The whole world see your true beauty
It’s the love in your heart, the peace in your soul
The hope in your smile lets the whole world know
This little light you gotta let it shine
Let’s adorn ourselves with the inner beauty that God desires for us.
According to God's Word, "Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn't last, but a woman [or man] who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised." Proverbs 31:30.
Father, please help me to be a beautiful person on the inside and so live that the beauty and love of Jesus will show and shine through me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.
Blessings,
Donna
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Freedom
Our dog, Barney, is quite a character. We got Barney from a lady in our church, Sandra, who lives next door to the church. She offered to have doggy daycare at her house whenever we needed it. My husband had been taking Barney to doggy daycare when he would go to the church. This worked wonderful for several weeks. Then one day I receive an email from my husband with the subject “Houston we have a problem”. I got quite a chuckle out of the subject line as well as the email. Apparently Barney had somehow gotten out of the fence and was making his way to the church. My husband just happened to be in the kitchen and seen him out the window. He opened the side door and got Barney. He then put him back in the fence. A little while later my husband was in his office and heard barking. As he was making his way to the front door, there stood Barney wanting to come in. Barney knew that Terry was in there and he wanted to be with him. That fence could no longer keep him from leaving the yard. Since that day, Sandra and her son had put up a new wooden fence. Barney found a way out of that. They have now fixed the fence to be like Fort Knox. We all believe there is no way for Barney to get out now.
In thinking about Barney’s antics, I began thinking about our freedom. We all have been in cages with no way out, or so we thought. But the Bible tells us that God has made a way for us. The Bible says that whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). God, through His Son, has made a way for us to be free! Are we looking to be free? Barney sure was looking to be free! He made a way to be free where we thought he could not get out. God longs for His children to be completely free from every bondage, weight and stronghold. The question is do we want to be free? If so, what are we doing about it? Are we doing all that we know to do such as worshipping, reading scriptures on freedom, praying about it? Are we changing how we think in order to have freedom? Are we changing what we do in order to have freedom? Are we changing our friends in order to have freedom? Freedom is ours! A way has been provided for us to get out of our cage. Now is the time! Let’s not wait another moment!
Father, we thank You that You have made a way for our freedom through your Son! Help us to do what we need to do to live a life of freedom in every area! Thank you Father for freedom in You!
Blessings,
Donna
In thinking about Barney’s antics, I began thinking about our freedom. We all have been in cages with no way out, or so we thought. But the Bible tells us that God has made a way for us. The Bible says that whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). God, through His Son, has made a way for us to be free! Are we looking to be free? Barney sure was looking to be free! He made a way to be free where we thought he could not get out. God longs for His children to be completely free from every bondage, weight and stronghold. The question is do we want to be free? If so, what are we doing about it? Are we doing all that we know to do such as worshipping, reading scriptures on freedom, praying about it? Are we changing how we think in order to have freedom? Are we changing what we do in order to have freedom? Are we changing our friends in order to have freedom? Freedom is ours! A way has been provided for us to get out of our cage. Now is the time! Let’s not wait another moment!
Father, we thank You that You have made a way for our freedom through your Son! Help us to do what we need to do to live a life of freedom in every area! Thank you Father for freedom in You!
Blessings,
Donna
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