Good to see you. You can feel good about the fact that you are reading this page. That's right. Since the last time I left you, a huge number of folks here on the planet have left this life for what awaits them in the next. A huge number. Some 153,000 people die every day. That's over 6,400 per hour. That's nearly 56 million per year. If I make it another five years to age 70, some 3.9 billion people will have died during my lifetime. This tells us that death is as certain as life itself. Therefore, when I say that we can feel good about being here this morning, on this
Monday, May 16, 2011, based on statistics alone, we are blessed. Blessed with life. Blessed to be able to get up and go. But blessed for what reason? The Sunday School children can help. One reason is to let our little light shine. The other is to rise and shine and give God the glory, glory, children of the Lord. How about? If you're saved and you know it, then your life should surely show it. We've all heard the saying, blessed to be a blessing. We become a blessing when we connect into God's plan and purpose for our life. That is the truth my friend. God has something for each of us to do and He has shaped us to be enabled to do it. Many never even think about this throughout their entire lifetime and end up pretty much just occupying space for their time here. I don't want that for my life because it doesn't have to be that way. We can become all that God would have us to be as we seek His help and begin to reach out in touching others for His honor and glory. I thought we all might benefit, including me, from a little sermon emanating from my pew this morning. May God bless us all as we seek Him.
Amen.
Our small group that meets each Wednesday evening for prayer and Bible study is currently reading through the Book of Esther. For a writing that never once mentions the name of God, He sure is seen in His providential working on behalf of His people in almost every verse. Esther became queen because of her beauty, inside and out. When she was confronted with a decision to intercede on behalf of her people, she had to make a decision. She was rightfully concerned and even frightened in taking the lead in this matter. Here's her response to her cousin, Mordecai, who had raised her: “
All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” (Esther 5:11) Mordecai sent word to her regarding this matter. His words reflected a deep faith in his God. They are some of my favorite from this Book and even from the entirety of God's word: “
Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”(Esther 5: 13-14) Wow! How does that connect to you and I today? It could mean that we, you, and I, are positioned at times to accomplish something God would have us to do. It may require courage and it may make us nervous, but we further His Kingdom when we follow His leadership. That ties into my opening comments if you sit and think about it for a while. Go ahead. Trust me. Read the Book of Esther and see what I mean. I am confident that God will bless.
Amen.
God's care for His own is very much on display in the book that bears Esther's name. She along with Ruth are in very privileged territory in having writings named after them. I will be the first to admit that Esther's story is one that sounds almost too good to be true. In fact, many folks reject it because of that reason. But to me, all of God's working on behalf of His people sounds that way. I love the unfolding of these nuggets of great truth. It just so happened..... Yes, and God was involved. People operated based on the context of their outlook on life. It just so happened that the king needed a new queen. It just so happened that the king couldn't sleep one night. It just so happened that Mordecai's act of heroism had never been recognized. It just so happened. Back then it just so happened and today it is still the same, it just so happened in my life, and in your life. We have the promise of God that we belong to Him and if we have believing faith then we are His beloved children. The just so happens continue and so does God's involvement in the affairs of His very own. Just last Tuesday our little prayer group was pleading before the Lord for a certain outcome for a dear lady in our group. God heard. That outcome was realized. We gave Him the glory for it. The naysayers will say that was the way it was going to be anyway. We give God the glory. They might question what we would do if it had not just so happened the way it did. We know that God cares and we would give Him the glory regardless of the outcome. That's how it works? Absolutely! That's enough because I'm pretty much all tied up in my own 'it just so happened' stuff, and all of this is way over my head anyway. That's okay because He is all about listening to our heart. There are days when I thank God for what He allowed me to write. This is one of those. Have a great day and may God bless each one.
Amen. ......More later.
Our small group that meets each Wednesday evening for prayer and Bible study is currently reading through the Book of Esther. For a writing that never once mentions the name of God, He sure is seen in His providential working on behalf of His people in almost every verse. Esther became queen because of her beauty, inside and out. When she was confronted with a decision to intercede on behalf of her people, she had to make a decision. She was rightfully concerned and even frightened in taking the lead in this matter. Here's her response to her cousin, Mordecai, who had raised her: “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” (Esther 5:11) Mordecai sent word to her regarding this matter. His words reflected a deep faith in his God. They are some of my favorite from this Book and even from the entirety of God's word: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”(Esther 5: 13-14) Wow! How does that connect to you and I today? It could mean that we, you, and I, are positioned at times to accomplish something God would have us to do. It may require courage and it may make us nervous, but we further His Kingdom when we follow His leadership. That ties into my opening comments if you sit and think about it for a while. Go ahead. Trust me. Read the Book of Esther and see what I mean. I am confident that God will bless. Amen. 
God's care for His own is very much on display in the book that bears Esther's name. She along with Ruth are in very privileged territory in having writings named after them. I will be the first to admit that Esther's story is one that sounds almost too good to be true. In fact, many folks reject it because of that reason. But to me, all of God's working on behalf of His people sounds that way. I love the unfolding of these nuggets of great truth. It just so happened..... Yes, and God was involved. People operated based on the context of their outlook on life. It just so happened that the king needed a new queen. It just so happened that the king couldn't sleep one night. It just so happened that Mordecai's act of heroism had never been recognized. It just so happened. Back then it just so happened and today it is still the same, it just so happened in my life, and in your life. We have the promise of God that we belong to Him and if we have believing faith then we are His beloved children. The just so happens continue and so does God's involvement in the affairs of His very own. Just last Tuesday our little prayer group was pleading before the Lord for a certain outcome for a dear lady in our group. God heard. That outcome was realized. We gave Him the glory for it. The naysayers will say that was the way it was going to be anyway. We give God the glory. They might question what we would do if it had not just so happened the way it did. We know that God cares and we would give Him the glory regardless of the outcome. That's how it works? Absolutely! That's enough because I'm pretty much all tied up in my own 'it just so happened' stuff, and all of this is way over my head anyway. That's okay because He is all about listening to our heart. There are days when I thank God for what He allowed me to write. This is one of those. Have a great day and may God bless each one. Amen. ......More later.
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