24th Week - Esther (Click on the title for a video introduction)

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Click on the Title for a Video Introduction

Monday, Esther Introduction
Esther Intro
Mindy Strayer
May 22, 2006

THOUGHT
The application portion of my Bible states this about the book of Esther.

“The book of Esther is an example of God’s divine guidance and care over our lives. God’s sovereignty and power are seen throughout this book. Although we may question certain circumstances in our lives, we must have faith that God is in control, working through both the pleasant and difficult times so that we can serve him effectively.”

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we thank You for leading us to the book of Esther. We recognize, Lord, what a blessing and privilege it is to have Your guidance in our lives. Thank You, Lord, for loving us that much, so much that everything that happens in our lives is a part of Your plan. We are grateful for Your
sovereignty, God. For our knowledge of Your complete control brings us peace, overflowing joy, and drives away our fear. Lord, we ask that You would speak to us this week and show us places in our lives where our faith in Your sovereignty needs to be strengthened. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. AMEN




Tuesday, Esther Chapter 1
Esther 1
Mindy Strayer
May 23, 2006

THOUGHT
I am doing a Bible study on the Book of Esther.  The book chosen to help us in our Bible study is called Espresso with Esther by Sandra Glahn.  Sandra Glahn writes that the writer of the book of Esther doesn’t tell us whether the king was wrong or whether his wife was wrong because that isn’t the point of the story. She suggests that the happenings in the first chapter really should be looked upon as background information that lays the foundation for telling the reader (us) how Esther got where she did.  We now have our background.

THOUGHT
Lord, we just lift up praise to You this morning! We are so blessed to be able to speak to You in prayer. We thank You, Lord, that You always listen and provide us with everything that we need. Lord, we pray that through the book of Esther we would learn more about Your love for Your people. We pray that the readings in Esther will help us to trust You even more with everything in our lives knowing that You love us no matter what and that You are always in control. Please increase our faith in You, Oh God, so that even in the difficult times of life we may never cease to serve You with all that is within us. AMEN

Wednesday, Esther Chapter 2
Esther 2
Mindy Strayer
May 23, 2006

THOUGHT
Chapter 2 tells the story of how Esther became queen. Esther went through 12 months of beauty treatments to prepare for one night with the king. Now we don’t know how long these beauty treatments actually lasted each day.  Were they 30 minute sessions? Or did she have to sit in smelly oil all day long while strangers plastered all different colors of home—made make-up on her face and body to find the perfect combination that would perhaps highlight her body just perfectly in the moonlight of the king’s bedroom? 

And we all know what it is like after going around the department stores smelling all of the perfumes and colognes. We have all done it.  All of the fragrances start to blend into one noxious fume, and you end up nauseated and feel as if you have lost your sense of smell forever. And so I say, what a life. Where is God among the slick and stench of the oil and perfume? Ah, but God was working through it all.

Remember that the book of Esther is about God being in control. He is sovereign in every circumstance in our lives. Esther does become queen, and she is later able to accomplish much to help the people of God.

I thought it worthy to note some of Esther’s characteristics that are shown. Three times she follows instructions or recommendations from Mordecai and Hegai to not divulge her lineage or request anything of the king. She trusted them, and she acted on that trust by obeying them.  I am reminded of a song that starts out by saying, “Trust and obey, cause there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”   We have to trust God in every circumstance. We must continue to put our faith in Him.

PRAYER
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being the Lord of our lives. We are so thankful that You are guiding us. AMEN



Thursday, Esther Chapter 3
Esther 3
Mindy Strayer
May 25, 2006

THOUGHT
In chapter 3 Mordecai refuses to kneel down before Haman and honor him like a god. Not just this one day, but the Bible says that day after day people spoke to him about obeying this command, but Mordecai refused to comply.  Standing up to your enemies is one thing, but sometimes standing up to your peers and friends can be just as hard. Haman, filled with pride, a hunger for power, and a deep-rooted prejudice against the Jewish people, comes up with a plan to exterminate all the Jews. So, Haman sets the plot and thinks he has it all planned out. 

He had his 1 year time line to look at until the day of the deaths of the Jews. But someone forgot to tell him that in every good story there is always a twist. Something that can in an instant cause a complete change of direction. Some little detail that was overlooked, ignored, or forgotten can make all the difference. We all know the teeny tiny detail that Haman did not pay any attention to. This teeny tiny detail just happened to be the Almighty God, creator of the universe, and Father to the Jewish people. Haman thought that he was writing his own story when really he was a part of another author’s story. We must continue to read on to find out how this story ends.

God is in control. Remember that there are twists in every good story.  God is writing one heck of a story for each one of us. God might write us into various new directions in life. All of us already have experienced a new direction that God has taken us on. Sometimes His directions lead us down long paths with challenges that seem too hard, unfair, or even impossible.  We may not always know why the Lord leads us into the places that He does, but we can trust and have faith in Him. When we allow God  to write our story, the ending always leads to eternity with Him!

PRAYER
We praise You this morning, Lord! God, we thank You for the true story of Jesus and our salvation through Him. Thank You for being so trustworthy and for loving us so much! AMEN


 
Friday, Esther Chapter 4
Esther 4
Verse 14
Mindy Strayer
May 27, 2006

Verse 14:  It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!

THOUGHT
What a great verse! I think that this verse stands out for everyone. God always has us in a position to do something for His kingdom. For me it is easy to go along with the flow of my life and not take any time to examine where God has me, and what it is that I should be doing for Him.

We can be prone to this kind of living really at any time during our life. We may be battling for our life or a loved one’s. We may be having financial issues.  We may be struggling with our jobs, unhappy with the position or frustration with a coworker. We may be too busy with lots of different activities and places to be and are feeling wiped out. We may be in a period of unrest where when anyone asks us what is new, our response is “same old, same old.” 

It can be easy to forget our main objective, which I think is to Love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love one another and help build up the kingdom of God. If we take the time to examine the position that God has us in, we can be much more affective for Him. Nothing is wasted, no time, no energy, no resources.  Everything in our lives has its place and purpose for God.

PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for this powerful message. I pray that You would assist us all in being more aware to where You have placed us, the situation that You have us in, and allow us to look at it from Your perspective with Your goals in mind. I thank You, Lord, that You first loved us, and that we have been chosen to be a part of Your kingdom and contribute to building the body of Christ. Lord, be with each Salt Shaker this weekend in every situation so that we can be salt and light to whomever we come in contact with. We ask this in the Mighty Name of Jesus. AMEN




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