Devotion
Do not anger the king’s queen!
David Jacobs
It may sound chauvinistic, but I am extremely protective of the women that I care about the most in my life. If anyone tries to harm my mother, sister, or wife, they will certainly have to deal with me as well. I try to be a good Christian and control my temper, but it is easy to lose my temper even thinking about something bad happening to them because of someone else. Unfortunately for the genocidal prince to King Xerxes, Haman, he messed with the wrong woman.
Esther was a Jewish woman and wife of King Xerxes. When Haman was promoted to the highest aid of the king, a Jewish man, Mordecai, refused to bow to him. Infuriated by Mordecai's lack of respect, Haman approached the king with a plan to kill all of the Jews in the kingdom. When Esther learnt of this, she hatched her own plan to kill Haman. She organized two feasts with Haman and the king, hoping to get them a bit drunk and let their guards down. On the second day and after winning the favor of her husband, Esther asked him to kill Haman. When the king left in a fury, he came back to see that Haman had collapsed, perhaps hiding from the king, in the same bed as Esther. Further enraged, Xerxes ordered Haman to be killed on the exact gallows that Haman had constructed for Mordecai. Ah, sweet revenge!
Although this passage is devoid of much Godly action, it does paint a good picture of what the Jews have faced throughout much of their existence: persecution, slavery, and genocide. Brother and sisters of Christ! We must be better than the wicked Haman!
Prayer
Although there are certainly differences between people, we know that we should treat others as we would like them to treat us (Matthew 7:12). Not as Haman, Xerxes, or Esther, but like Christ. Let us give thanks to God for allowing us the choice. Amen.
Night Prayer
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Inspiration
Often, we speak before we have to opportunity to think about our words. In the heat of the moment, we immediately express negative feelings without analyzing the situation first. We jump to conclusions when directing meetings and speak in haste with our children before evaluating all sides. As leaders in any setting, we must be tactful and make decisions by weighing all details. Instead of expressing emotions with our authority, we must seek to mediate justly and reflect the mercy of God with our decision-making.
Prayer
Dear Lord, Please forgive us when we jump to conclusions and fail to lead with mercy and grace. Guide us to reflect Your character when You place us in a position of authority. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotion
A Simple Creed
Frances Taylor
Although the last verse of this passage is considered to be a portion of a hymn prayed by the people in the communities around Ephesus, I think of it as a creed, a simple statement of beliefs. It lets us know that they believed that Jesus was God, coming in the flesh, who was justified, or vindicated as another translation has it, by the Holy Spirit, seen by the angels, which could mean actual angels in heaven, or that he was seen by the disciples and others considered to be holy, preached by those disciples to reach out to a world that believed in the message of the Good News and was received by the Father into heaven where he would reign. Of course, I could be wrong about the actual meaning of the hymn, but it really doesn't make any difference. It makes me think about creeds, or statements of belief. I know there are a few formal ones such as the Apostles' Creed, or Baptismal Creed, and the Nicene Creed which expands a little on the first. But ...
Morning Prayer
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
Inspiration
It may seem that the lives of some non-believers are often much easier and carefree than our own. Unshackled to principle, they may float free between pleasures with no particular conscience. But this 'freedom' is not true freedom, and one shouldn't mistake it for what it really is; being lost in the wilderness. This 'freedom' of the non-believer does not extend into the afterlife, and is in fact, shackled only to this, our material world. Since they have not had to endure the call of their consciences, they will not find our God's eternal peace.
Prayer
Lord God our Creator and Father, let me endure all that is sacred, just and fair in this world. Help us understand in facing our sufferings that we are doing so for you sake, in your glory. Thus, give us grace and show us mercy, for in answering to our consciences, we know we are doing your work. Help us stay pure ...
