You can read the passage by clicking here
I have a confession to make: there are times when I struggle to give grace and mercy. As a pastor, I should be the one out front, setting the tone, being generous and reckless in forgiveness. Often I wrestle with thoughts of judgment. I battle thoughts of "you reap what you sow" or "I knew this would happen" as I sit on my high horse of piety. In a turn of twisted irony, I will judge and evaluate other people for being arrogant and judgmental. This is a glimpse into my sometimes dark soul.
I think a lot of folks wrestle with this too. I know several who wage this war. Strangely, those far from Christ often have a better grasp on not being judgmental than those who are His followers. Somehow our being saved by His amazing grace brings thoughts of superiority and entitlement. Hopefully I'm the only person that thinks this way, but I somehow doubt it.
Reading a passage like this is tough. I have to be mindful of my emotions. My challenge in reading a passage like this is clear: Do not become a cheerleader for what's happening to Haman!
Yes, Haman did terrible things. Yes, I think Haman is getting what he deserved. No, he probably wouldn't have shown mercy in reverse. But I have to remember that justice suits me just fine when I feel like I'm the one who's been wronged or I care about the one who's been wronged. When I stand before the judge, I cry out for mercy, deserved or not!
The truth is, if we got what we deserve, we would all be eternally separated from God in Hell. Praise be to God, that he is liberal in grace, mercy, and forgiveness and that we don't have to get what we deserve. Instead, he lavishes love on us and calls us children.
Be careful not to be a cheerleader when judgment happens. Know that it is by grace you are saved, and that every step you take and every breath you breathe is granted by the Gracious God.
Showing posts with label Esther. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Esther. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
SOLO Bible Study - Esther 5:9-13
You can read the passage by clicking here
It's amazing how selfish, bitter, and naive I can become when I focus only on what I don't have rather than what I do have. It seems I'm predisposed to begin looking for more and better than what I already have. How ungrateful and egotistical I can become when I look only at what I don't have. How narcissiistic!
Paul wrote to the church in Phillipi,
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (NIV) Paul learned the secret of being content.
He learned it.
This is not natural behavior. It's unreasonable for us to assume we will have feelings of contentment. We must learn why we're to be content and how we're to be content.
A couple of things that have helped me and would've helped Haman:
1) Count your blessings! Thank God for what you do have. Are you healthy? Do you have people that you love and love you back? DO you have any change in your pocket? DO you have any food in the fridge? Do you have clean water to drink? Do you use an indoor toilet? These are a few things that help keep me grounded, because the majority of people in the world are missing many of these things we take for granted.
2) Pray James tells us "You do not have, because you do not ask God." I regularly share my passions and wants with others, but don't commit them to prayer. How much am I trusting God in all this? When I make it a focus of prayer, I put it in GOd's hands. After all, he's good! He sets everything before me. He is the one in control. If he thinks it would be good for me to have it, then I can trust that.
3) Ask yourself, "Why do I want this?" James continues, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." If your motive is simply for you, maybe your heart isn't where it needs to be. Maybe you're putting your treasure in things rather than God. What's your motivation?
These are just a few of my thoughts. What are some ways you can learn to be content?
It's amazing how selfish, bitter, and naive I can become when I focus only on what I don't have rather than what I do have. It seems I'm predisposed to begin looking for more and better than what I already have. How ungrateful and egotistical I can become when I look only at what I don't have. How narcissiistic!
Paul wrote to the church in Phillipi,
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (NIV) Paul learned the secret of being content.
He learned it.
This is not natural behavior. It's unreasonable for us to assume we will have feelings of contentment. We must learn why we're to be content and how we're to be content.
A couple of things that have helped me and would've helped Haman:
1) Count your blessings! Thank God for what you do have. Are you healthy? Do you have people that you love and love you back? DO you have any change in your pocket? DO you have any food in the fridge? Do you have clean water to drink? Do you use an indoor toilet? These are a few things that help keep me grounded, because the majority of people in the world are missing many of these things we take for granted.
2) Pray James tells us "You do not have, because you do not ask God." I regularly share my passions and wants with others, but don't commit them to prayer. How much am I trusting God in all this? When I make it a focus of prayer, I put it in GOd's hands. After all, he's good! He sets everything before me. He is the one in control. If he thinks it would be good for me to have it, then I can trust that.
3) Ask yourself, "Why do I want this?" James continues, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." If your motive is simply for you, maybe your heart isn't where it needs to be. Maybe you're putting your treasure in things rather than God. What's your motivation?
These are just a few of my thoughts. What are some ways you can learn to be content?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
SOLO Day 55 - Esther 4:7-14
You can read today's passage by clicking here
The Holocaust is one of the darkest periods of modern history. Many historians believe more than 6 million Jews died at the hands of the Nazi regime. One charismatic leader with enormous power was able to hijack a nation's moral compass, and they chose to follow blindly down a devastating path. By the time men and women attempted to stand up to Hitler's regime and speak out, it was too late. Listen to Martin Niemoller, a German theologian and Lutheran Pastor:
"First they came for the Communists but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out; Then they came for the Socialists and Trade Unionists but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews but I was not Jewish, so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me."
Martin Niemöller stood up against the Nazi regime. He was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945. Martin Niemöller is a celebrated pacifist, and even after his death in 1984, is fondly remembered as a bright light in a dark time. But Martin Niemöller's own confession leads me to ask several questions.
Why didn't people speak out? Why didn't Christ-followers take a stand. Where were the courageous? Where were those with a spine? Why didn't we stand up sooner? I wonder if Martin Niemöller felt like he missed the opportunity to do what was right sooner?
2400+ years before the Holocaust the Jews were on the verge of being wiped out. A young Jewish woman sat on the throne as Queen of Persia when her surrogate father came to her, pleading for her to stand up! "Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this," he begged. Queen Esther did, and God saved his people, because one voice chose to speak up.
What opportunities and decisions are facing you right now? Is there anyone you need to stand up for? What is a God-sized risk that you need to take?
Who knows? Maybe you were made for just such a time as this.
The Holocaust is one of the darkest periods of modern history. Many historians believe more than 6 million Jews died at the hands of the Nazi regime. One charismatic leader with enormous power was able to hijack a nation's moral compass, and they chose to follow blindly down a devastating path. By the time men and women attempted to stand up to Hitler's regime and speak out, it was too late. Listen to Martin Niemoller, a German theologian and Lutheran Pastor:
"First they came for the Communists but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out; Then they came for the Socialists and Trade Unionists but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews but I was not Jewish, so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me."
Martin Niemöller stood up against the Nazi regime. He was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945. Martin Niemöller is a celebrated pacifist, and even after his death in 1984, is fondly remembered as a bright light in a dark time. But Martin Niemöller's own confession leads me to ask several questions.
Why didn't people speak out? Why didn't Christ-followers take a stand. Where were the courageous? Where were those with a spine? Why didn't we stand up sooner? I wonder if Martin Niemöller felt like he missed the opportunity to do what was right sooner?
2400+ years before the Holocaust the Jews were on the verge of being wiped out. A young Jewish woman sat on the throne as Queen of Persia when her surrogate father came to her, pleading for her to stand up! "Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this," he begged. Queen Esther did, and God saved his people, because one voice chose to speak up.
What opportunities and decisions are facing you right now? Is there anyone you need to stand up for? What is a God-sized risk that you need to take?
Who knows? Maybe you were made for just such a time as this.
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