November 5, 2024

Esther – Chapter 6:10-11

Be honest.   Don’t you just LOVE it when hateful people get what’s coming to them?  Of COURSE you do!  Me too.  This is the part of the Esther story that almost makes me laugh out loud.   We see in verses 10 and 11 that Haman is utterly humiliated –publicly!  Can you imagine what that must have been like for Haman to dress Mordecai in the King’s robe and crown, and then have to parade him around town proclaiming “This is what is done for the man the King delights to honor!” (verse 11).  Haman (the man who, no doubt, made sure to tell anyone who would listen how much he hated Mordecai ) not only had to do this in front of his peers and subjects, Haman obviously was not the man the King delighted to honor!   In the chapter to come we will see the full extent of his downfall.  Take that, you jerk!

But even as I read the scriptures this morning, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my attitude and asked me a couple questionsIs this how you really are supposed to think, Robin?  Did I delight in Haman’s punishment?   

Wk6_Caddell_EstherWhoa. I just got checked by the Holy Spirit.  Time to take that thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Let’s answer the second question first…just so we’re on the same page.  The answer is NO.  Evil will be punished, because God is a just and holy God, and therefore cannot (and will not) tolerate sin.  He does not, however, delight in it.  2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  Do you see what the Scripture says –He wants EVERYONE to come to repentance. Even hateful Haman.  You know those people in your mind that are the worst scum of the Earth, ever?  He wants them, too.  Which brings me back to the first question the Holy Spirit is using to correct me (and perhaps you, too…).

Is this really how I am supposed to think?   Well, sisters, the answer is… no, not really. To know that evil will eventually be no more and that God will even out the score brings a great amount of comfort!  But let’s get back to the focus of this study, shall we?  Submission.  If I want to truly be more like Christ, if I want my will to decrease so that His will can increase in me (John 3:30), then I MUST submit my will, in all things. That includes wanting to get even or to get revenge.

Haven’t we all had a “Haman” in our lives, at some time or another?  Maybe not so drastic that they wanted us dead – but haven’t we all had someone who “got one over on us?”  Perhaps there is someone who makes your life miserable at work.  A “friend” who insists on outdoing everything you do, and rubbing your nose in it. Maybe you have a neighbor that HATES you.  Or maybe someone just cheated you out of something you worked hard for.  It could be something as simple as getting cut off in traffic!  But it could be more heinous – you or your family has been victim of harm or abuse.  The bottom line is, we all have at one time or another wanted to get revenge for an offense made against us.   We definitely haven’t prayed for God’s favor on that person!

But we should.

Romans 12:17-21 presents a challenging passage about love:

Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’   Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Wow – is that some heavy lifting, or what?  Give your enemy a drink if he’s thirsty?  I know sometimes I would rather hit someone upside the head with a full bucket of water than give that person a drink out of love.  But as I am called to be more like Christ, and as God keeps trying to skim out the garbage in my life to make me more pure, then I MUST  think of any offending person as someone that God desperately wants to reach for his Kingdom.  He doesn’t want ANYONE to perish, remember?  All people are created by God – in His image – and He wants all people to come to Him.  This is not going to be an easy one to master.  But forgiving someone an offense and PRAYING for those who persecute us brings us to such an incredible place of submission and humility that God can work miracles – in our hearts AND in our enemies!

 *****

Let’s pray:

God, thank You for being a just AND loving God!  Thank You for Your forgiveness of my offenses and help me to forgive others as You have forgiven me.   Lord, help me when I want to seek revenge for wrongs done to me and when I would rather wish harm on someone than good.  Pour me out so that YOU can increase in me. Help me to rest assured that my life rests in the palm of Your hand and know that You will avenge any wrong done to me – the daughter of the King!  May my words, thoughts and actions reflect Your love in my life – help me to be more like Your beautiful Son every day.  In His name we pray.

Amen.

 

Esther – Chapter 5:9

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“Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet” (Esther 5:9a, NLT).  His seemingly ever- increasing power starting from his promotion (chapter 3:1 and 2) to King Xerxes giving him his signet ring and carte blanche to do what he wanted with this “certain people” (chapter 3:10 and 11) to this intimate banquet with the king and queen (here in chapter 5:4 and 5), was feeding Haman’s pride big time.  Not only that but Queen Esther had invited him to a second banquet! His hat didn’t fit his big head anymore, and his buttons were popping off his cloak from his puffed out chest as he walked out the king’s gate to go home for the night!  Can you hear his evil cackle?  Oh, I don’t like this guy!

“But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious” (Esther 5:9b).  We already know from Esther chapter 3, that Haman planned to destroy Mordecai and all the Jews.  Now, when he saw Mordecai sitting there so peacefully with no regard for him at all, Haman almost exploded on the inside with indescribable hatred.

Mordecai “stood” his ground by sitting when Haman walked by. Mordecai knew Who he had to ultimately answer to, and it wasn’t Haman.  Mordecai had full confidence in the Lord’s provision and protection.  Confidence in God and the humility of obedience and submission to Him gave Mordecai a calm and peaceful presence that was like acid eating away at Haman. (Compare the similarities when Jesus “stood His ground” in His last hours, Matthew 26-27.)

Haman was so full of himself that he couldn’t see that his pedestal of pride had no foundation. One day it would come crashing down around him.  As Matthew Henry’s Commentary would describe him: he is a self-admirer, a self-deceiver.  Doesn’t he sound like someone else we know? Isaiah 14:13-14, “For you (Satan) say to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne about God’s starsand be like the Most High.’”  Satan’s plan is for the destruction of God’s creation.  His pride is so great and his rage against God is so consuming that he intends to kill and destroy (John 10:10) everyone he can.  But he has no foundation of truth.  He has built his plan on pride and hatred.  He and his plan will fall.  Isaiah 14:15, “Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.
Proverbs 18:12

Matthew Henry’s Commentary also says: “A slight affront, which a humble man would scarcely notice, will torment a proud man , even to madness, and will mar all his comforts.”  Haman was tormented by Mordecai’s affront, his intentional defiance.  I believe Satan is tormented by our affronts when we stand against him and his evil plan to destroy us and our families.

We have two life examples to look at here.  We have Haman who lived a very self-centered and prideful life.  He deceived himself and he deceived others, especially the king, for very selfish motives.  Then we have Mordecai, who was a humble man of faith and confidence. His motives were selfless as day after day he watched over and wisely advised Esther, even to the extent of sitting at the gate when “trouble” walked by.

Today we have the opportunity to check our motives for what we do and what we say.  If our motives are based on feeding our pride and obtaining power over a person or a situation, we are self-deceived and insecure.  If a small offense eats away at us, we will want to check our lives for underlying pride.   A life controlled by pride will lead us to “destruction,” as we read in Proverbs 16:18.

If our motives are directed by our faith in God, then we will live selfless lives of submission and service.  We will not be easily offended, and will forgive quickly.  We will stand in humble confidence and peace, even as we “sit by the gate” when trouble tries to destroy us.  (Ephesians 6:13.)  We will have an inner assurance that God will show Himself mighty to save.

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy;
I (Jesus) have come that they (you and I) may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

Who does your life look most like…Haman or Mordecai?  Is it one of pride, torment, insecurity, fear, and eventual destruction? Or is it one of humility, peace, confidence, faith, and life?  Today is your day to choose “life and have it to the full.”

*****

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, we come humbly to Your throne of grace today.  Even at this moment we are searching our innermost beings for areas of pride and deception.  Help us, Holy Spirit, to find them so we can repent and allow You to cleanse us.  We want our motives to be pure and selfless. Please help us to not be easily offended and to quickly forgive.  May each of us live a life of humility, peace, confidence, and faith.  Thank You for offering us life to the full!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Esther – Chapter 2:16-20

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Esther asked for little and was given much! The Word doesn’t say that after a period of time King Xerxes decided he “liked” Esther. It says when Esther was taken into his presence, he “loved her above all other women.” And not only that but she also “won his favor (grace) and approval more than any of the other virgins!” (Esther 2:17).  To show his affection and approval, the king elevated Esther from a lowly position of a concubine (for that’s what she would have become had he not chosen her; Esther 2:14) to be his queen, and gave her a royal crown so no one would mistake her position in the kingdom.

Our author, Darlene Schacht, has us reflect on Hannah’s prayer of praise in I Samuel 2:4-8, which comes after years of barrenness and humiliation.  As background in I Samuel 1: 1-28, we read the story of Hannah and Elkanah.  In the eyes of their society, Hannah was “a nobody” and a disgrace to Elkanah since she hadn’t borne him any children.  But Elkanah didn’t see her that way.  No matter what…he loved her for herself.  And God loved her and had a plan.  In His timing, God took a humiliated, barren woman and honored her by blessing her with Samuel who would serve the Lord in the temple all the days of his life.  Hannah saw first-hand how God would “lift the needy” in His timing, and she raised her praise to Him in prayer.  From barrenness to blessed.  From humiliated to honored.

Esther was one of the Jewish exiles who lived as a common citizen of the community surrounding the palace, even though Mordecai, her cousin, sat at the king’s gate and had responsibilities in the palace (Esther 2:5-7).  She was lowly with nothing to offer the king—but her submission and trust.  The king saw that and more in her, and he lifted her up and blessed her.  The king presented her before his people and celebrated with a great feast in her honor.  From “barrenness” to blessed.  From humbleness to honored.  With grace and honor, he set her among his royalty and crowned her to share in his throne and kingdom!  And perhaps, Esther prayed Hannah’s prayer of praise, especially I Samuel 2:8,

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

From my perspective, I’m like Esther was—just a common citizen with nothing to offer the King of kings, but my submission and trust.  Ephesians 2:4-7 tells “the rest of the story”:

But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in Heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Wow, what an honor—what a celebration! And I praise my King!

Did you notice in Esther 2:18-20, that even in the midst of all the honor and celebration, neither Esther nor Mordecai forgot their relationship and responsibility to each other?  Even though Esther was now in a pretty secure position, she still respected Mordecai’s wisdom and submitted to him because, I believe, she knew he loved her and had her best interests in mind.  God has our best interests in mind, too.  And, like Mordecai, the Holy Spirit of God is standing close by watching over us, loving and guiding us in all His grace and wisdom.

One other point from Darlene about this relationship: Esther was an orphan and Mordecai had taken her in and cared for her as his own.  As we follow this story we see that Mordecai continued to watch out for her best interest.  Darlene points us to James 1:27, “Pure and genuine religion (unstained devotion) in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”  Mordecai demonstrated pure religion as he watched over Esther.  He “walked his talk.”  In the Book of Ruth, Ruth demonstrated pure religion by caring for her widowed mother-in-law (Ruth 2:17-18).  God wants us to demonstrate our pure religion by living out our faith. Perhaps we should check ourselves each day with this question, “Am I walking my talk?”

*****

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,
We thank You, Lord, that when we were “a nobody,” like Esther, we were a “somebody special” to You.  We have nothing to offer You except ourselves; and, come to find out, that’s exactly what You are looking for!  You are looking for our obedience and courageous submission so that we can come into Your Presence, as Esther came into her king’s presence.  You are eager to lift us up “from the ash heap” and seat us with You, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  Help us to remember that You have our best interests in mind.  You have promised us that Your Holy Spirit will be close to us to guide and comfort us.  Please Holy Spirit, help us daily to “walk our talk” so others will see You even when we don’t speak Your Name.  In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.

 

Esther Chapter 1:20-22

I have been Vashti.  Up until these past few years, I have not respected nor submitted to my husband.  In fact, I would say rebellious would be the word for me.  And the saddest part, other than my disobedience to God, is that my “kingdom” witnessed my rebellion and they too lost respect for the king of our home—their daddy.  I wish I could say that I didn’t know what I was doing, but the truth is, I did know!  As women, we can be manipulative, and have selfish motives. Maybe Vashti and I thought we would look stronger in the eyes of our people and the respect that we so deserved would be ours alone.  But it didn’t work out that way. Nor did it for Vashti.

Physically, she paid with her life.  Spiritually, I paid with mine.  It’s no coincidence that the Scripture Darlene referred to were the verses that changed my family.  Ephesians 5:22-24 “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Did you see that word, everything?  That means we can’t pick and choose what we submit to, nor can we pick and choose which laws of God’s we are going to obey.  God doesn’t say “If your husband is a believer, then respect him and obey him,” does He?  No, He doesn’t.  And even if you are the spiritual leader in your home, like I was for a time, you still have to respect and pray for discernment and obey him.  God is going to honor your obedience and protect your decisions from harming your family.  He will place a hedge of protection around your children as He promises.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to be your guide and to fill your husband with wisdom as you practice obedience in this season of your life.  Submission comes easier to some, while others have to swallow some pride and realize it is not about that, it’s about being obedient in your walk with Jesus.

This verse also applies to Jesus and the body of believers known as the church.  We have trusted Jesus as our Savior and received eternal life.  In the New Testament, Jesus, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen us to be His bride.  Our responsibility is to be faithful to Him (Ephesians 5:24).

2 Corinthians 11:2 says, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him.”  As believers, we who are the Bride of Christ await with great excitement for the day when we will be reunited with Him. Until then we remain faithful to Him, and faithful to our earthly husband.

“The Queen must submit to the King” is the most important message of all. Who is our King? Jesus.  Who is His queen?  We are!  God commands that He is to be King over His household…that means all of us.  Esther 1:20-22 are the verses of today’s lesson.  We know that Vashti, for whatever reason, disobeys the king and does not show up at his banquet. As a result, he sends out a decree to his entire empire commanding that all husbands everywhere are to receive proper respect from their wives. The NLT translation says, “every man should be ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases.”  This is the way the chapter ends.

God is never mentioned in this book nor does He show up in any form.  No one prays and no miracles are spoken of either.  But God is in the shadows throughout the book.  He works behind the scenes, not with a visible hand of miracles, but with His invisible hand always providing.  For those of you who wonder if God is in your life because you haven’t seen Him in a while, or heard His voice in quite some time—Esther’s life is like yours, and God’s work in her own life will show you God’s work in yours.

Used with permission. www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

Used with permission.
www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

 

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, we are weak.  We know that You have hidden things in this book that are deep and hard for us to grasp.  Help us to see that here is a story of all that You are able to do in our lives as we commit to being submissive and obedient to You.  Help us to tear down the veil of pride and bitterness and open up to being that respectful wife that You have called us to be.  Lord, if we aren’t married, may we submit to You in such a way that Your people will be led to You by the way we are living our lives.  Thank You for this book.   Thank You for the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf. We love You and praise You.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

“Esther” – Chapter 1:16-19

Week1_IfWeDontSubmit_ClellaFox

The party is over! The king is angry, the court officials are appalled, and the queen is realizing that she made a big mistake!

King Xerxes in his anger and frustration turned to his court advisors to figure out what to do considering Queen Vashti’s disobedience. Memucan, one of the advisors, might have stood up and said, “Good king, ‘no man/woman is an island!’ What the queen did affected not just you but your whole kingdom!”

It is true for us as well. What we do or don’t do has an effect on others around us. The Word exhorts us in Romans 13:5, that “everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities….” And in Hebrews 13:17 it says, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.” We are also told in I Timothy 4:12 to “set an example for the believers…” and in I Thessalonians 1:7-8 [to be] ”a model to all the believers….”

If we don’t submit to our authorities, why should we expect others to submit? A simple example would be obeying the speed limits. To obey them is to submit to the Transportation Authority that has set those limits for our safety. If we don’t submit to that authority and don’t obey the limits, why should we expect our youth when they start driving to submit to and obey the limits? Others are watching our example and are likely to follow us–even possibly to a greater extent.

Remember the saying, “Actions speak louder than words?” Well, these are the things that Memucan was so concerned about when he said,

For this deed of the queen shall become known to all women, and so shall they despise their husbandsThere will be no end of disrespect and discord. (verse 17)

He was greatly concerned that others would follow Vashti’s example to even greater extremes. Therefore, to stop that potential fallout there had to be consequences for her actions. She lost favor with the king, she lost her position of respect, and she lost those precious possessions that go along with the position. The punishment corresponded to the crime: she wouldn’t go before the king–so she was denied access to the king from that point on.

Now remembering that King Xerxes was a foreshadow of a greater King, Jesus, we need to recognize Vashti as a foreshadow of the Jewish people. Time and again the Jews refused to submit to God’s commandments. They chose to “do their own thing.” And thus they lost favor with God and were even separated from Him by exile to foreign lands. As with Vashti, the punishment corresponded to the crime.

When Jesus came, he came to be the Jews’ King. Through His example, His teachings, and His miracles, He tried to draw the Jews to Himself. Matthew 23:37  says, “I longed to gather your children togetherand you were not willing”—you would not submit.

Our author, Darlene, writes, “righteousness is conformity to God’s laws,” —submitting to God’s Will and God’s Way. I think of righteousness as “being in right standing with God.” But most of us, like the Jews, like to do things our own way. Surely we are good enough. We do good deeds! Vashti thought her beauty and position were enough to sustain her! We, as Vashti did, try to define our own righteousness by our own rules. “Beauty is only skin deep,” and so is our “goodness” unless we come before God in submission and in faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 4:3-5).

If Vashti had come in submission before the King it would have shown everyone that she trusted him. It would have put her in “right standing” with the king. Perhaps he would have presented her with some lovely gift or a new royal robe! In Matthew 22:1-14 (the parable of the wedding banquet) many were invited to come but most refused to attend. They were doing their “own thing” and didn’t have time for the king’s banquet. Others came and accepted the wedding garment and enjoyed the party. The man in verses 11 and 12 refused to submit to the king and his offer of security and right standing (righteousness) and, like Vashti, he was forever separated from the one who wanted to save him (verse 13).

ALL of us are invited to Christ’s banquet, but only those prepared can come and stay. For us, the garment represents our covering of righteousness provided through our faith in Jesus Christ to make us acceptable in God’s presence. God wants to clothe us with His robe of righteousness. He wants us to sit with Him in His heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6).  Have you accepted God’s invitation?  Have you submitted to Him and allowed Him to clothe you with His robe of righteousness?  If not, do it today, and join the greatest banquet ever!

*****

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Today we are reminded that our submission to You, our King, makes the difference between separation from you or being welcomed into Your presence. Help us, Lord, to also remember that what we do or don’t do does affect others. Thank You, Jesus, for offering through Your shed blood Your robe of righteousness. We cannot earn it and certainly don’t deserve it, but You are offering it to us freely as we have faith in You. We submit our lives to You, and ask You to clothe us with Your robe of righteousness.  Thank You.  In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.

“Esther” Chapter 1:10-15

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“But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come” (Esther 1:12, NIV).  Here we see the pivotal action that paved the way for Esther to come onto the scene in the next chapter.  Disobedience or a refusal to submit.

I’ll have to admit…for a long time I’ve sided with Queen Vashti!  What was so wrong??  I wouldn’t want to be the only woman in a room full of men that have been drinking for seven days (really, seven days??), would you?  According to some Jewish historians, Vashti was to appear wearing only her crown.  To me, her refusal seemed appropriate, if not a way to protect herself.  I would bet that for any number of women that have read this story, each one would have thought of a reason that the Queen’s actions were justified.  However, Darlene makes a great point, and this is the kicker: “…the scripture doesn’t give us any valid reason she didn’t.  So making excuses for her would be speculation at best” (page 13).  So there it is.  If the Bible wanted the Queen’s actions to be justified, then a valid reason would have been given for her refusal, but we don’t have one.  The simple truth is: Vashti was given a command which she refused.  We see later in the chapter that she is punished – stripped of her role and privileges.

This made me wonder.  How often does God give us a command that we don’t want to obey?  Just like reading about Queen Vashti, we want to justify her disobedience and ours through the filter of our own wishes.  God commands us to submit – to our husbands, to the will of Jesus – and we give reasons (excuses, really) of why we shouldn’t.  I know many of us have difficult husbands! Some of us have husbands that are abusive, indifferent, not in line with the will of God.  Many of us see God as a difficult taskmaster, a commander, one who is angry with us.  It’s hard to willingly allow ourselves to submit to the will of someone who may not have our best interests at heart, isn’t it?  On the other hand, some of us are simply not interested in being submissive!  It feels “archaic,” as if we are supposed to be weak doormats to be walked on, when we are strong, liberated, independent women – right?  I’m my husband’s partner, not his slave.   All justifiable feelings, ladies, but let’s look at the Scripture again.

“But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come.”  The King commanded.  She refused.  We really do treat God the same way.  He gives us commandments.  Some we obey…some we flat out refuse.  Can we be honest with ourselves?   If we don’t want to do what God commands, then we don’t do it.  I’m not trying to be harsh, it’s just the truth!   If we want to improve, if we want to become less so that God can become more within us, then we have to start thinking about submission from God’s perspective, and not from the world’s perspective.  Here’s more truth for you – GOD LOVES YOU!!!  All day, every day.  He wants what is best for you. He wants you to have a beautiful, joyful, powerful, abundant life. When you can really wrap your head around the fact that God loves you, then it makes it much easier to submit to His commands – because they are not burdensome (I John 5:3); they are in your best interest!

Consider the ultimate example of submission, Jesus.  He obeyed, even to the point of death (Philippians 2:8)! Would you consider Him a doormat?  Weak?  A slave?  I would think not. Was His life free from conflict?  No.  Did he have to do things He would have preferred not to do?  Yes.  Jesus lived His life as an example for ALL of us – so that we can pattern our lives after His. Submitting our lives to the will of God does not make us weak, mindless puppets – it’s an act of courage and strength!  In fact, when we submit to God, our submission brings us rewards – here and in heaven!  In James 4:6 and 7; James writes: “‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God.”  (He also says in verse 7 to resist the devil and he will flee from you, further proof that in submission to God you have the power and authority of God residing in you – I’d say that’s a reward, wouldn’t you?)  A heart obedient to the will of God is beautiful!

Let’s vow today to live lives of daily submission.  In areas where it seems difficult (if not impossible!), let’s ask God for strength, courage, and a willingness to do as He asks. Let’s not sit in the seat of the skeptic.  Let’s not view submission like the world does.  Vashti’s disobedience knocked her out of a place of privilege – let’s not follow her example!  We’ll see in the days and weeks to follow how submission to the King brought honor and reward to Esther and how submission to our King (God) will bring honor and reward to us!  Let’s try it today – when the King summons us, let’s throw on our crown and run to His presence – “Here I am!”

May God reward you for your obedience today!

Let’s Pray:

Holy God, thank You for Your abundant love and provision for us.  Thank You for wanting to have a relationship with us, and that You give us direction out of a desire for our well-being.   Holy Spirit, help us to live our lives in submission.  Help us where we are reluctant to obey.  Help us to love, respect, and follow our husbands – and You even more so.

Lord, open our hearts and our minds to a deeper understanding of You.  Help us to receive the teachings and blessings that You want to bountifully bestow upon us.  Guard our minds, protect our families, heal what is broken, and lift us up when we fall.  I thank You, Lord, for every woman taking part in our study – may she feel Your arms wrapped firmly around her today.

Fill us with Your Spirit, Lord; help us to be salt and light.  In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.

Amen.

Crazy Love: Chapter 7 Weekly Review – “You’re Best Life… Later”

Week 7 was probably not as in-your-face or convicting as the other past few weeks have been, but I do hope that you have finished the chapter feeling challenged to be more open to the fullness of what God promises to you in the Word as well as be more willing to submit all you have and all you are to Him.

On Monday, you and I talked about how we tend to “play it safe” with the situations and circumstances we are in. We were nudged to boldly get out of our comfort zones to live more passionately to please God in all we are and do. Martha asked us to explore with her on Tuesday about how our lives might change if we actually thought of each person we came into contact with as Christ. OUCH…. that slap was certainly needed. Then, on Wednesday Jennifer shared with us about trusting God to give faithfully. On Thursday, Donna explored with us about having the kind of faith in God that completely stretches us into situations that are totally uncomfortable if God does not come through.

At this point, I would love for you to watch this video of Chan with me…

http://youtu.be/dsTnQv-qexE

Chan challenges us to think about riches in a new light.  If we really believe in eternity and we really believe that there are eternal rewards that we can gain, then it’s not so much that it is sinful for us to buy these things but it would be silly because we are talking about eternal rewards. We are not here to judge or feel condemned for what we have…but I do think it is worth our time to devote ourselves to some thought and prayer here about our life on earth versus what the richness of our eternal life will be!

Blessings,

Megan 🙂

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Let’s Pray:

God, I ask that You help us search our hearts when it comes to things of this world and convict us of any ways that we might be storing up our riches on earth and not giving enough to our brothers and sisters. Show us the kind of stewards YOU need us to be to further Your Kingdom and help us to not be of this world, but be focused on our eternal life with You! Amen! <3

Your Assignment:

Rather than talking about the sinfulness of owning and buying things, let’s talk about the silliness of the things that we own in light of our eternal rewards. Please leave me a comment about this below….

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If you would like to email a private message to Megan in regards to this blog, please email her at: megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

Crazy Love: Chapter 7 – Your Best Life…Later (pp 113-116)

World-doesnt-Need-crazy-love-francis-chan-T

 

“Christians today like to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe ‘even if there is no God.’ But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way. We have to do things that cost us during our life on earth but will be more than worth it in eternity.” ~page 116

There are countless examples throughout Scripture of people just like you and me who followed God with their whole hearts…faults and all. When we read about people in the Bible such as Abraham, Paul, Daniel, and Elijah it’s so easy to lose sight of the fact that their God THEN is the exact same as our merciful God NOW!

God answered BIG prayers back then and He is the same God that answers BIG prayers from us NOW…we only need to trust Him with our prayers and with our very best life. Have you ever thought about this before? We limit ourselves and God when we do not dare to give up our life to Him and BOLDLY live our life by faith in what He will do with it!

Blessings,

Megan 🙂

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Let’s Pray:

God, we come to You humbled and with repentant hearts if there has been any way that we have been steering clear of situations or circumstances that might make us uncomfortable for Your glory. Please forgive us, Father, and show us today how to make it right and to be bold enough to live in such a way where we are not afraid to do things that cost us in this world. Thank You, Lord, for showing us grace and for guiding us closer to You through this. In Your Son’s matchless name we pray, Amen. <3

Your Assignment:

How are you “playing it safe” in your life right now? Pray for God to show you where and how He needs you to kick your life up a notch and not be complacent to “play it safe” for Him any longer. Leave me a comment about this below.

 

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If you would like to email a private message to Megan in regards to this blog, please email her at: megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 9 / Day 3 – Teacher Relationships Are Challenging

I am honestly so thankful for the teachers I had throughout my elementary, junior high, and high school years. With each teacher, I was challenged in a different way. Did I like it at the time? Not always. Did I always see eye to eye with every teacher I had? Absolutely NOT!

But throughout my school years, and especially as I got older, I learned the importance of submitting to authority. There were definitely some times when I felt a teacher was being unfair, and then there were some times when I felt a teacher wasn’t teaching. In both cases, I had to learn that it is THEIR classroom, not mine. They were given this job for a reason, and they were there to help me become the best student I could be. Romans 13:1 says, “…for there is no authority except that which God has established.”

I didn’t always agree with a teacher when they assigned a paper on a Monday that was due on a Friday. I threw many tantrums in those instances, I assure you. But I had to do it. School was my job at the time. Was it supposed to be number one in my life? Absolutely NOT. I would often say, “God loves me regardless of my grades.” Very true, but God also wants me to do everything with excellence. Perfection? Nope. Excellence… To the very best of my ability. Did I do that? Honestly, no. I wish that I had, though. School was where the Lord wanted me at the time. And it was my responsibility to get things done.

Part of being the best student you can be is respecting your teachers. It takes a little while at the beginning of the year to know what a teacher’s expectations are or how they like certain things done, but once you figure those things out, you should try your best to do your work in a way that would please them. By respecting them and submitting to their authority, you are honoring your Father in Heaven. And who knows, the way you act toward your teachers may show THEM or your peers the love of Jesus.

Pray with me-

God, THANK YOU for our teachers! Thank You for placing people in our lives that challenge us and want us to do our best. Lord, give us patience and compassion when our teachers do not do things how we think they should be done. Give us Your heart toward them and our school work. In the future, place teachers in our paths that will challenge us in the best way and will teach us to be loving and compassionate. Amen

~Jordan

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Winning Him Without Words: Trade Perfection With Authenticity

 

Trading Perfection for Authenticity — WOW!  What a chapter!  So much of this chapter stood out to me in ways that really caused me to think about my actions toward my husband.  It caused me to ask myself if my actions toward him were speaking the love of Christ, or the selfishness of Christi?  OUCH!!

Dineen said on page 100 that God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit to accomplish the things that He wants and needs for us to do.  All we need to do is listen and obey Him; be willing vessels for God to use in reaching our unsaved loved ones.  We should be encouraged to know that God can use each of us, in this way!!  As Dineen said, “He doesn’t “need” to; He “chooses” to!  He could change our husband all on His own, if He wanted to.  But He chose to use US, You and I, to be Jesus with skin-on to our unbelieving spouse, right here and right now!  I LOVE that!!!!

I won’t go further into this subject because it will be taking away from one of our bloggers this week who will be covering this topic.  But what I do want to do is share a video with you that I found.  It is an interview that is done with Lynn Donovan and a friend who is talking about how God used her to witness to her husband through the power of the Holy Spirit!  It’s a great video!!   I hope you will take the time to watch it all the way through!

You will find the link to this video HERE.  

PLEASE take the time to watch it!!  It will be worth the time!! I promise!

Before I give you your reading assignment, I do have a couple of questions for you.  Do you have a personal relationship with Christ?  Have you prayed for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?  Two very important questions because we need both in our lives in order to love our spouses the way God intended.  I know for myself that without the Holy Spirit, I would not be as effective in my marriage!!

I know this study is for women who are married to an unsaved spouse, but I don’t want to assume that each one of you have accepted Christ as your Savior.  If not, and you would like someone from our prayer team to pray with you, please send us an email to Prayer@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com. One of our prayer team members will contact you and pray with you!!

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Here is your Reading Assignment for this week!

Nov 5 –  

Perfection for Authenticity / A Fine Linen Belt – Beverly

Nov 6 –

A Confession – Jennifer

Nov 7 –

Heart Tablets – Donna

Nov 8 –

Sacrificial Giving – Sarah

Nov 9 –

Discovery / Prayer – Martha

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Let’s Pray:

Father, I am so thankful for You in my life, and in the lives of each of the marriages represented here today. Lord, I lift each marriage to You today, and I ask for Your special blessings to pour out onto each husband and wife, and upon our unsaved loved ones.  I ask Lord that You give each wife wisdom and direction in how to love her husband unconditionally.  I ask that You teach each wife Lord, how to submit and not to be afraid to submit to her husband.  Lord, reveal to her to that submitting to her husband is also submitting to You, Lord, because this is what You instruct us to do!

Holy Spirit, I invite You into each marriage that is represented here.  Indwell us with Your power as we learn to be the submissive wife the Lord calls us to be.  Holy Spirit, I pray for each woman who is reading this today and I ask that You speak to each heart.  For those who have not invited You into their heart, I pray their hearts will be nudged today, and they will seek You knowing now that in their own weakness, You can provide the strength they need to be the authentic wife we are each called to be!  In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

Be Blessed,

Christi