Tag Archives: faithfulness

Take care of the small things, July 8, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

If you’ve never been to Niagara Falls, I can tell you from experience, it is an awe inspiring sight. Standing on the bow of the Maiden of the Mist, feeling the spray of that avalanche of water, hearing the thunder of millions of gallons of water rushing past. It is something you never forget. When you feel the mighty power surrounding you, little doubt remains about the existence of a powerful God of creation. Someone did this. It didn’t just happen.

The same feeling rushes into your head when you stand at the precipice of a volcano and peer down the side of throat, feel the heat of the lava boiling below, and know the immense geothermal energy trapped within that opening, ready to spew its lava out across the countryside. Or stand in the center of what used to be a city ravaged by a category five hurricane and see what the wind and water have done to that place. Not much stands that isn’t damaged. In fact, not much stands. We recognize immediately the power God can unleash on the world. His heart and awesome power most often restrained, but ever present in nature.

We think about his power and the stories of his miracles, the calming of the storm, the feeding of the thousands, the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead. We think, “I want to be part of that. I want to be part of those majestic events. I want to experience what those first disciples experienced by witnessing first hand some of those miracles. Then my faith will really take off. Then I can really be a great witness for God since I can tell of his great miracles and be an instrument in those actions.

There is a story in the Old Testament, though, that reminds us of what our walk with God will be like most of the time and what he expects from us most of the time. It comes from yesterday’s lectionary reading from 2 Kings 5:

Naaman’s master considered him an extraordinary man. He was the military commander of Aram’s army, and he had won many important battles for Aram by the power of the Eternal. Naturally he was greatly esteemed by his king. Naaman was a fierce warrior, but he also had a skin disease.

Now one time, the Arameans went out in raiding parties and took a little girl from Israel as their prisoner. The little girl became a servant to Naaman’s wife.

Girl (to Naaman’s wife): If only my master could be near the prophet in Samaria, the prophet there could heal my master’s disease.

Naaman became hopeful, and he went and told his king what the little girl from Israel said.

King of Aram: I am going to write a letter to Israel’s king, and I want you to take it to him immediately.

Naaman left with the king’s letter in his hand, plus 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 sets of fine clothing. Naaman handed the letter to Israel’s king, and the king read it.

King of Aram’s Message: The man carrying this letter is my servant, Naaman. He has a skin disease, and I request that you heal him.

King of Israel (ripping his clothing): Who does he think I am—God? Why does Aram’s king think I have the power to kill and make alive again? What in the world makes him think that I can heal you of your disease? It is obvious that Aram’s king is trying to create trouble between us.

Elisha, the man of God, received word that Israel’s king had ripped his clothing, so he sent a message to Israel’s king.

Elisha’s Message: What has caused you to rip your clothing? Tell the man who has come to you for healing to come to me. Then he will be assured that a prophet lives in Israel.

The king told Naaman to go find Elisha, so Naaman showed up at Elisha’s door with his horses and chariots. Elisha did not show his face to Naaman, but instead sent instructions: “Wash yourself in the Jordan River seven times. The waters will heal you, and your skin will be back to normal. You will be cleansed.”

Naaman boiled with anger as he left Elisha. He had come to his house expecting something much different.

Naaman: What is this! I came here thinking that Elisha would come outside and call upon the name of the Eternal One his God, and that Elisha’s hand would pass over my sores and heal my skin disease, not the waters of the Jordan River . The Abanah and Pharpar Rivers in Damascus are greater rivers than all the rivers of Israel combined, so why couldn’t I just go bathe in those and be healed?

Naaman then stormed away, boiling with anger. Later his servants approached and spoke to him with respect.

Naaman’s Servants: Father, if the prophet had told you to do some important thing, wouldn’t you have done what he asked? Why is it difficult for you to follow his instructions when he tells you, “Bathe yourself in the Jordan River, and be cleansed”?

So Naaman swallowed his pride, walked down to the Jordan River, and washed himself seven times, just as the man of God had instructed him to do. There, the miracle occurred. Naaman’s disease was healed: his skin was as new as an infant’s, and he was clean from the disease. Naaman and all his entourage went back to the man of God.

Naaman: I am convinced that there is no God who exists in the entire world like the True God in Israel. Please accept this gift from me, your humble servant.

Elisha: As certain as the life of the Eternal whom I worship, I refuse to take any gifts. Naaman tried again to give Elisha a gift, but Elisha would not take it.

Naaman: OK. If you won’t take my gift, at least allow me to take two mule-loads of earth. I, your servant, will no longer give burnt offerings or sacrifices to other gods. The Eternal One is my only God now. May the Eternal One forgive me when I walk into the house of Rimmon, the storm god of Aram, to worship there beside my master. As his first officer, I must be by his side wherever he goes, even when he worships. May He forgive me for bowing down in that place.

In this story, Naaman learned, as we heard in Elijah’s story a few weeks ago, that God doesn’t necessarily care about the grandiose, the spectacular, the awe-inspiring. He wants us to understand that he is God always. In every circumstance and every situation. Naaman needed help. In his day, there was no cure for leprosy and he had it. Soon he would be banished from civilization because of the disease.

Aram wanted Naaman around because of his military prowess. Naaman wanted to be around. He certainly didn’t want to know the isolation and stigma leprosy carried in those times. But soon he would not be able to hide the sores, the symptoms, and he would be among those banished from others, forced to hide himself and cry out “unclean” when anyone neared him.

But a servant girl told him about a miracle making prophet in Israel, Elisha. It was worth a chance. There was nothing to lose. Naaman went. He expected something special. He expected this man of God to come out and perform some kind of special ritual, some incantation, some soothing salve to put on his body, some potion he would drink every day. Instead, Elisha didn’t even come to the door. He sent his servant out to tell him to go wash in the filthy Jordan River seven times.

Naaman was livid. He was an important man. How dare the prophet not even speak to him. Who did Elisha think he was? After all, he just came from the king. And his king sent him. Israel’s king was a vassal to Aram and Naaman was Aram’s right hand man. This prophet didn’t even take the time to come out of his shabby little shack and greet him. Now he wanted him to go wash in the Jordan River? Hrmph! Not on your life!

I grew up in Tennessee. In the Smoky mountains, the headwaters of some of the creeks rivers that flow into the Cumberland, Tennessee, Ohio, and others that feed into the Mississippi River are crystal clear. Many of them I still wouldn’t have a problem dipping my hand into those headwaters and drinking their clean, clear water. But drink from the Mississippi River? Not on your life. The Mississippi? Never. They have become so polluted over the years through industrial waste and outgrowth of people dumping whatever they please into the river, you have no idea what might happen if you drank that unfiltered water.

The Jordan River was like that even in Naaman’s day. Dirty brown water where everyone did their laundry, dumped their waste, and every other imaginable disgusting thing. And Elisha wanted him to wash in this filthy river not just once, but seven times. He would be sicker than he was. He just knew it! Why should he stoop so low as to infect himself in this countries filth? There were cleaner rivers in Samaria, he would just go back there and wash himself. After all, water was water, right?

It wasn’t about the water at all, though. It was about obedience. Just like it is with us. Why would God entrust us with massive, spectacular things, if he can’t trust us with minor, simple things? I used to counsel people that came to work for me in similar terms. Everyone is on a leash. If I’m responsible for the outcome of events, I want to know what people that work for me are doing. I want to shape what happens so I know the outcome will be what I want the outcome to be. So when someone first comes into the team, I don’t know how they work, what they think, how they interpret my instructions. So they are on a short leash. I want frequent reports. The tasks are simple. The projects are inconsequential to the total effort if they fail.

But the more I get to know the person, their work, their trustworthiness, the longer leash. I don’t need to check as often or as thoroughly. The leash is still there if I’m responsible for the outcome. I never let go of the leash, but instead of a two foot leash, it may become a six foot or ten foot or thirty foot leash. The more I can trust that someone who works for me understands how to interpret my desired outcomes and how to get there, the less I need to overwatch what they do.

I think it is the same with God. The more he can trust us with the little things in life, the more he can trust us with the big things in life. The more we trust him, the more he trusts us. Why would he take us to the moon if we’ve never climbed a ladder? As you look at the lives of biblical characters, I think you’ll see that pattern of growth in all of them. God gave them small things to do before they could be trusted with greater things. He knew their heart, but tested them first so they knew their own heart, too.

Do you want to see great, spectacular, monumental things happen around you? Then take care of the little things around you. Pay attention to the everyday, mundane activities that need to be handled diligently. Watch for opportunities to do the things no one will ever see or know about and take care of those with no fanfare. When God can trust you with the little things in life, he will begin to trust you with the bigger things in life. Remember the story of the three servants and the talents. Take care of the small things and God will reward you richly.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Change is hard, September 24, 2018

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No one ever said change was easy. Sometimes it seems like the hardest thing in the world to do, but sometimes that change is the most necessary thing in your life.

Sometimes it’s really hard for me to believe the number of cigarettes sold in the United States today. Are you ready for this? One study says about 10 million cigarettes are sold every minute. Think about that. The population of New York City is less than 9 million. It’s like everyone in New York City, infants through centenarians, buying a package of cigarettes every nine minutes, 24 hours a day.

Why does that surprise me so much? Because the last television ad for cigarettes was aired on December 31, 1970 during the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I was sixteen. I’m now sixty-four. It has been almost 50 years since a cigarette commercial went across the airwaves, yet we still sell them at the rate of 10 million a minute in this country alone. Proven to cause cancer. Proven to harm unborn children. Even secondary smoke has been proven to be a health hazard, particularly for the young and the elderly. So why do we see so many people with a cigarette in the hand and sucking their life away?

Why? The same reason illegal drugs are a problem in this country. The same reason alcohol is a problem in this country. The same reason prescription drug about is a problem in this country. Someone tells a teenager they can get a buzz or escape reality for a few minutes if they try this pill or that cigarette. Doing something just a little illegal makes them cool. Skating on the edge shows how tough they are. All those little things to make them different, except now they are the same as all the others trapped in a vice they can’t escape.

So in 2015, the stats tell us we had more than 88 thousand alcohol related accidental deaths. We also had more than 66 thousand drug abuse deaths and 33 thousand alcohol induced deaths above and beyond those 88 thousand traffic accidents and boating accidents. The alcohol and drug induced deaths were things like cirrhosis of the liver or pancreas, alcohol poisoning, overdose, and so forth. The average age of those victims was about thirty so those that do these statistics estimate that more than 2 ½ million years of life were snuffed out because of abusing drugs and alcohol in this country.

We know all that stuff is bad. We know the dangers of using tobacco products and abusing both legal and illegal drugs. We know the dangers alcohol abuse causes. We know all those things. So why do we have such a huge problem in this country? Are we all just stupid to be buying 10 million cigarettes a minute and wasting 2 ½ million years of life from those we kill every year for no reason except we fail to change?

These are sobering numbers from statistics three years old. I wish I could tell you the numbers have gotten better over the last three years, but they haven’t. They’ve gotten worse. Drive down the street wherever you live. Pay attention to the teenagers and young adults you see on the street and driving around in some fairly expensive cars. How many do you see that are smoking? How many have eyes that just don’t seem to focus well? How many are in places that you know trouble is bound to happen if they just hang around? And where did they learn all these neat tricks?

From us. We indulge ourselves in the current generations. The Silent Generation, Baby boomers, Me Generation, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Y, Gen Z, Post-millennials, iGen, Centennials, Plurals, pick from whatever list or title you like. We are guilty of thinking of me first. We don’t want to change our ways. We don’t want to do the hard things that will fix us. Kicking those habits is hard, so we don’t. Teaching our kids to do the right thing regardless what their friends say or do is hard, so we don’t teach them. Consistent discipline and living those morals we want our children to have is hard, so we compromise. Being the model, the example of godliness in our homes and at work and in the grocery store is hard these days, so we fudge a little here and there.

Then we wonder why our kids think we are hypocrites. We wonder why our kids have abandoned the church and God. We wonder why they take up habits and try to be different only to look and act like the rest of the growing different look alike crowd. They take the easy way because they see us take the easy way. Change is hard. But change is worth the effort. Change is important. Change is necessary sometimes. Change to get out of the trap of today’s culture requires strength we do not have. It requires strength we can only get when armored with God’s help. Change means being different in this world. It means being a true non-conformist, because the world wants you to conform to its moral values, its selfish ways, its downhill slope to eternal damnation.

God never said following him would be easy. Those that tell you being a Christian is all rose petals, blue skies, and fluffy clouds have never been a Christian and don’t have a clue what they are talking about. Being a Christian is hard in this world. Satan works his best to destroy followers of Christ. The world hates Jesus’ followers just as he said they would. Everywhere you turn you will find those who hate you and everything you stand for just because you declare Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life. Walking the Christian life take all the effort you can muster every day from the time you wake up in the morning until you close your eyes at night. Jesus said it would be that way. He promised pain and suffering. He promised that to those who followed him.

But he also promised his legacy of peace. An inner peace that is inexplicable until you experience it. He promised an eternity with him when he returns to take us to his home in heaven. He promised us his presence with us and in us in the form of his spirit alive and well. Enabling us to live the life he wants us to live. Hard. Yes. Worth it. Absolutely. Not much in this life worth having comes to us without hard work. Changing our mindset to follow him is no different.

I can assure you that God will not change. He did a pretty good job at creation. He didn’t need to change. He did a pretty good job of setting the rules for Adam and Eve. They changed. He didn’t. Life was never the same for them and the disobedience they introduced in the world changed everything. God didn’t change. But they did. God is still holy. He hasn’t changed. So if everything keeps going downhill in this world, if evil keeps creeping up since the fall of man, if humanity gets worse and worse in what we do to each other, and we are supposed to be the intelligent beings living on this rock. We’ve changed and we’ve made a mess of things. God still hasn’t changed. He’s the same as he was before creation. He will be the same when time ends. If we expect to see him, guess who needs to change? Not God. He’s doing just fine. After all, he’s God. He makes the rules. Change is hard. But sometimes change is necessary and even though it’s hard, it is certainly worth it in the end. How is your change coming along?

What Sennacherib teaches us, January 8, 2018

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Bible Reading Plan – www.Bible-Reading.com; The Story, Chapter 16; You Version Bible app Engaging God’s Story Reading Plan Days 106 through 112

We are back to the study of The Story, God’s plan to restore us to a face-to-face relationship with Him as He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He wants desperately to have that kind of intimate relationship with each of us. And He would and did die that He might have it. But relationships are always a two way street. God wants it, but we must want it too. We have a choice and The Story, His word, the Bible shows us His plan to guide us back to Him if we choose to do so.

This week’s readings tell us the story of Hezekiah and the Assyrian army’s plan to conquer Judah. The taunts of Sennacherib’s field commander remind me of just how devious Satan can be with us. Remember some of the words he used?

“The gods of the nations we conquered didn’t save them, why do you think your God will save you?”

“Hezekiah tore down all the altars to your god and is making you worship him only in Jerusalem’s temple. Won’t your god be angry with Hezekiah for destroying his places of worship?”

“Surrender and live, we will give you homes, places to work, your sons and daughters can marry and have children in the new land we will take you to. Or you can stay here and starve to death.”

Hezekiah’s subjects heard all those words from the walls as they stood inside Jerusalem and the Assyrian army stood just outside the gates. I expect many of them more than toyed with the idea of passing the guards on the gates and doing exactly what the field commander asked. I expect many of their growling bellies made them long for those gardens promised by their enemy.

Satan works much the same way with us as Sennacherib did in his taunting of those hidden behind the walls of Jerusalem. He tells us half truths and twists the circumstances to make us think he has power to make things happen. He twists phrases to make his lies sound like truth but when you really examine his words, they are empty promises that don’t hold up to reality.

For instance, Satan told Adam and Eve they wouldn’t die if they ate the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. Partly tree, but only a half truth. They didn’t die physically right away, but we don’t know if they were eternal when created. We know they lived almost a thousand years before they died and death was one of the curses placed on them. We also know they died spiritually immediately. They lost their spiritual innocence as soon as they ate of the forbidden fruit as they disobeyed God’s command.

We hear half truths all the time and Satan tries his best to lure us into the way the world thinks and acts and tells us it’s okey. He wants us to absorb the world’s philosophy. He wants us to accept his moral values. He wants us to think God’s ways are too restrictive and arcane. He wants us, like those behind Jerusalem’s walls to long for the promises he makes to us instead of what God has to offer.

But Hezekiah, his prophets and priests, and the strength of his guard force kept the people loyal to him and to God. They stayed in the city and prayed to the God of the universe. The only one at this point who could possibly do anything about the tragedy that was about to befall them. They had no hope except in God. Surrender to this army really wasn’t an option anymore.

Sure they heard the rhetoric, but they also knew the stories about the brutality of this army and these were the last holdouts that kept these warriors from returning home to their wives and children. These were the last of the rebellious nations that caused them to risk their lives and suffer the harsh environment of a soldier’s life. These people would receive no mercy whether defeated or if they surrendered. The rest of the world would understand the power of Assyria and the consequences of rebellion against her. Yes, only God could save Jerusalem.

The people prayed. God listened. A miracle happened. 185,000 Assyrian soldiers didn’t wake up one morning. We don’t know how they died. We don’t know if God sent some viral disease or something poisoned their food or God sent an angel to kill them. The Bible doesn’t tell us how God performed this miraculous act. We only know that Sennacherib’s invincible army was decimated in a single night without a single arrow fired from the walls of Jerusalem or a single sword swung by a Judean soldier. 185,000 Assyrian soldiers just died. The rest slithered home…as fast as they could go.

Then God executed the rest of His plan against Sennacherib and his two sons assassinated him. Assyria soon feel to Babylonia and became a vassal nation to Assyria just as all the other nations of the world had been to her. Sin has its consequences. They will come back to bite you and there is not much you can do about reaping the harvest you sow.

Hezekiah is one of five kings of the thirty-nine who ruled Israel noted as being a good king. All the rest are described as in God’s word. I don’t think any of our presidents have been described as evil in our press, but God tell us 34 of His chosen people’s kings were evil. What an indictment against those who were supposed to be showing us how to have an intimate relationship with God.

But don’t point fingers too fast. The Israelites are still God’s chosen people. It is still the nation He will bless and use to point us to Him and sue to bring us back into a face-to-face relationship with Him. So says His Story, His plan to redeem us from our sins. We’re getting close to those events in His word. The ones that will change the course of history and give each of us the opportunity to live with Him forever.

For now, be careful who you listen to and how you react to those half truths the world yells out to you over the wall. Satan wants desperately to have you open the gates of your heart and mind to him. He wants desperately for you to let him in and let him take charge of your life. You have a choice as to how sits on the throne of your life. It will either be God or Satan. Jesus told us you cannot serve two masters. You must choose one or the other.

Who will it be? God or Satan? It really is your choice. Make sure it’s the right one. Today.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more about The Story and our part in it. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Be careful in these days! (Matthew 24:11-12) June 1, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 63-65

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 24:11-12
Jesus: The love that they had for one another will grow cold because few will obey the law. False prophets will appear, many will be taken in by them, and the only thing that will grow is wickedness. There will be no end to the increase of wickedness.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How much should we concern ourselves with Jesus’ prophecy to His disciples about these end time happenings? What do we need to look for ourselves and how can we know if we are part of that group Jesus talks about or are we okay with God as we listen to His predictions? Have we let our love grow cold? Have we let ourselves be taken in by false prophets? Are we slipping into wickedness instead of righteousness?

Those are serious questions we need to answer for ourselves as we think of Jesus’ words today. So lets take a look at ourselves over the next few minutes.

Jesus says others will know His followers by our love for one another. But do I really love others? Do I help in times of need? Do I share their burdens with them not just in prayer, but in tangible ways so they recognize that I care for them as I would my flesh and blood brothers and sisters? Or has my love for fellow Christians become reduced to acquaintances at worship services and maintaining some friendships with the same few in my socio-economic level?

Do I really love the way Christ loved those that followed Him? Then a further question, do I love my enemies and pray for their salvation, their blessing, their success? Or do I do everything I can to trip them up, defeat them in some way, repudiate their character at every turn? Has my love grown cold?

How about the question of false teachers? Do I even know how to recognize false teachers when they come? There are a lot of good people in the world that are still lost. There are more that will twist and turn the scriptures to say what they want them to say for their benefit and forget the rest. Do I know how to recognize them and make sure I stay away from their teaching?

Do I listen to what teachers and prophets say and test it against God’s word to see if it really matches with the whole word of God? Do I test the validity of the prophet’s priciples and his life to see if he lives what he preaches? Do I check his behavior against God’s word to test the validity of how he lives the gospel in front of others? Do I follow a prophet because he makes me feel good or because his message sometimes convicts me and challenges me in areas of my life that need to become more Christlike?

I hear a lot of false prophets today that tell us a lot of things that don’t agree with God’s word. Sure they take a verse or two from His word, but they take it out of context and use it inappropriately and twist the whole tenor of God’s command to us to live holy and righteous lives. They ignore the whole of God’s word to focus on the few verses that appeal to them and lead others astray with them. Those are the false prophets Jesus talks about.

Satan did the same in the Garden of Eden with Adam when he talked about the tree of knowledge. Satan did the same thing with Jesus when he used the Psalms to entice Jesus to abandon the Father’s plan. The false prophets will use pieces and parts of scripture to entice us toward evil. So how do we know we might be subject to the teachings of false prophets? Test their teaching against the whole of God’s word. Put their single verses back into the context of God’s word. Don’t let a single verse of two dictate the flavor of the message, but rather understand the whole of God’s message.

How do you do that? Read His word! It’s only 1500 pages. That’s really not that long if you think about it. Read about four pages a day and you’ve read it in a year. Read and know God’s word and you will discern the difference between the false prophets and those proclaim the whole word of God.

What happens when we listen to and follow the false prophets that Satan sends? We experience an ever increasing growth in wickedness. Just look around and see the evidence of the false prophets’ work around us. Clearly wickedness is growing every day. Our abuse of drugs, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, the explosion of all kinds of vices throughout our country and the world. Can anyone possibly deny the growth of wickedness generation after generation since Jesus’ words to His disciples so long ago? And as He said, there will be no end of wickedness until He returns to stop it.

Should we concern ourselves with His words? Absolutely. Many will fall away. Can I fall away? I could if I fail to listen to Him and read His words and follow Him closely. So can you. Be careful in these days.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

God works behind the scenes (Esther 4), October 5, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Esther 4

Set – Esther 4; Luke 18

Go! – Esther 3-8; Luke 18

Esther 4
¹ Mordecai mourned when he found out what had happened. He ripped his clothes, put on sackcloth, and wiped ash onto his body. Then he went through the city, weeping loudly in anguish. ² When he came to the king’s gate, not far from the palace, he stopped since those wearing sackcloth were not permitted to enter it and disrupt the mood of the court.
³ In the meantime, as word of the king’s decree began to spread throughout all of the provinces, terrible distress grew among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and screamed out in misery. Like Mordecai, many put on sackcloth and ashes.
⁴ Back in Susa, Esther’s maids and eunuchs witnessed Mordecai mourning outside of the king’s gate. They went and reported to the queen all that they saw.
Esther: What is wrong? Why is he doing this? It breaks my heart to think of him like this. Take these clothes to Mordecai so he can put them on instead of wearing sackcloth.
But when the servants arrived, Mordecai refused to wear the clothes Queen Esther had sent. ⁵ So Esther sent for Hathach, who was one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to serve her.
Esther: Hathach, go to Mordecai at once. Find out why he is mourning, and report back to me all that he says.
⁶ Hathach went to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. ⁷ Mordecai told the queen’s servant everything that had happened and how much money Haman had pledged to place into the royal treasury in exchange for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ Then he gave Hathach a copy of the order for mass murder of the Jews, the same order issued in the city of Susa.
Mordecai: Show it to Esther. Tell her everything I have told you. Convince her to go before her king and plead for his favor, not only for her life, but also for the lives of her people.
⁹ Hathach returned to Esther and told her everything Mordecai had said. 10 Esther ordered Hathach to return to the city gate and reply to Mordecai.
Esther: ¹¹ How am I supposed to see the king? It’s known throughout the land, from the greatest of the king’s officials to the common folk who live in the provinces, that any person who approaches the king in the inner chamber without being invited is sentenced to death. That’s the law! There’s only one exception, and that’s if the king were to hold out the gold scepter to that person and spare his or her life. It’s been 30 days since the king last summoned me!
¹² Hathach and the other servants took Esther’s response to Mordecai.
Mordecai: ¹³ Tell Esther, “Don’t be fooled. Just because you are living inside the king’s palace doesn’t mean that you out of all of the Jews will escape the carnage. You must go before your king. ¹⁴ If you stay silent during this time, deliverance for the Jews will come from somewhere, but you, my child, and all of your father’s family will die. And who knows? Perhaps you have been made queen for such a time as this.”
¹⁵ Once again, Hathach returned to Queen Esther with Mordecai’s message. In turn she sent a reply back to Mordecai.
Esther: Tell Mordecai, ¹⁶ “In preparation for my audience with the king, do this: gather together all the Jews in Susa, and fast and pray for me. Intercede for me. For three days and nights, abstain from all food and drink. My maids and I will join you in this time. And after the three days, I will go in to the king and plead my people’s case, even though it means breaking the law. And if I die, then I die!”
¹⁷ Mordecai left the king’s gate and put all of Esther’s instructions into action.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Mordecai gave sage advice to his niece, Esther. “Perhaps you have been made queen for such a time as this.” I made you with a purpose in mind. I created you at the perfect time in history. I put you in just the right place and time to accomplish the tasks I had in store for you. It’s not a mistake that you have the parents you have or live in the place you live. Certainly some of the choices that were made along the line were not My choices, but I still allowed them to happen and none of the choices surprised Me.

I can still accomplished My plans through you if you will submit yourself to My will. You see, I can take the worst case scenarios and turn them into days of feasting and celebration as I did with Purim for the Jews. I accomplished that change through the faithfulness of a man named Mordecai and his niece, Esther. Neither expected to become instrumental in the salvation of their race as a people, but they were because of their faithfulness.

You never know how I will use the events in which you find yourself to change the circumstances and turn evil into good. You never know how I will reshape events to My will when you just obey Me and did the right thing. You just don’t know how I will work in the back ground to make sure My plans work out to rescue those who cannot defend themselve so that they suddenly become the victors against great odds to turn sorrow into joy and wailing into celebration.

Just try Me and see how I work behind the scenes in your life to make things work out in exceptional ways to see you through this life and the next.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Faithfulness to God pays off (2 Kings 19:1-19), July 21, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Kings 19:1-19

Set – 2 Kings 19; James 5

Go! – 2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 32; James 5

2 Kings 19:1-19
¹ King Hezekiah tore his clothes after he heard what had been said. He then covered himself with sackcloth and entered the Eternal’s temple. ² Hezekiah dispatched the palace administrator, Eliakim, along with Shebna the lawyer and the priest-elders, to go meet with the prophet Isaiah (Amoz’s son). Eliakim, Shebna, and the elders all went wearing sackcloth.
Eliakim, Shebna, and the Elders (to Isaiah): ³ This is Hezekiah’s message: “Today is filled with hours of sorrow, pain, anxiety, and reproof. Children are ready to be born, but there is no strength to deliver them. ⁴ It may be that the Eternal One your God will disprove the words of Rabshakeh, whom Assyria’s king has sent to taunt the living God. So pray hard that your God, the Eternal One, will rebuke those words and save His few children who remain.”
⁵ King Hezekiah’s servants approached Isaiah, ⁶ and Isaiah spoke to them.
Isaiah: Go back and tell your master, “This is the Eternal’s urgent message: ‘Have no fear of the blasphemy which the servants of Assyria’s kings have spoken. They are merely empty words. ⁷ I am going to infect Assyria’s king with a spirit, and he will hear a rumor and go back to his homeland. There I will cause him to die by the sword.’”
⁸ Rabshakeh returned to the Assyrian king who was now battling against the city of Libnah because he had heard that the king had abandoned Lachish.
^9-10 Sennacherib then received word about Tirhakah, Cush’s king: “He is preparing to fight you.” So Sennacherib sent a message again to Hezekiah.
Sennacherib’s Message: Hezekiah, king of Judah, I warn you not to be fooled by your God, on whom you rely, when He says, “Jerusalem will not be conquered by Assyria’s king.” ¹¹ Surely you have heard about how the kings of Assyria demolished all the nations completely—every last one of them. Do you really think you will be rescued? ¹² Were the people of those nations saved by their gods when my fathers attacked? Were Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and Eden’s sons in Telassar ever rescued? No! ¹³ And what happened to the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim’s city, Hena, and Ivvah?”
¹⁴ Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, read it, and then placed it before the Eternal in His temple.
Hezekiah (praying to the Lord): ¹⁵ O Eternal One, Israel’s God, who sits above the winged guardians, You alone are God of all the kingdoms on earth, the One who made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Eternal One, open up Your ears and Your eyes so You may hear and see. Listen to the words Sennacherib uses to reject the living God. ¹⁷ Eternal One, I certainly know that the Assyrian kings have destroyed the nations and lands. ¹⁸ I know how they have thrown the gods of the nations into the flames of the fire and destroyed them, but those gods were created out of wood and stones by men. ¹⁹ Eternal One, our True God, I pray You save us now from Sennacherib’s conquest—the fate that all the other nations have suffered—so that every nation on earth will know that You alone, Eternal One, are God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You’ve been hearing about faith and the need to take action to demonstrate your faith the last few days. Hezekiah’s story shows again the power faith with action can have against insurmountable obstacles. Sennacherib’s message was true. No other nation had stood against Assyria’s might. They were the dominant force in the world at the time. They took the idols of the nations they defeated and threw them into fires built with the wood of the altars and temples they destroyed. No one and no gods they came across could stand up to them.

But Sennacherib had not advanced against any who believed in Me. None of the nations he faced worshiped the One True God, Jehovah, the Eternal One, Commander of the angel armies. When I release My forces in defense of My people, I win. Period. When I brandish My sword, the mightest fall to the face in fear because they know the outcome of the fight.

Hezekiah had seen My power. He knew what I could do. Hezekiah did exactly what he should have done when he saw the threat of the Assyrians. He didn’t run. He didn’t cower. He just took immediate action. He went to the Temple and laid out his concern before Me. He asked for My protection for My people and for My glory to be seen amongst the rest of the nations of the world.

Hezekiah’s walk with Me was genuine. His love for Me was pure. His actions to try to purge the nation of the idols and shrines set up by his ancestors thrilled Me. He led the people by example in his worship of Me. So I wanted to show My people that I honored Hezekiah’s faithfulness. Sennacherib was in for a shock. Despite the message he sent back to Hezekiah, Sennacherib would never return to Jerusalem. Assyria would fall victim to the same fate they inflicted on the nations they conquered. They would become slaves to Babylon as a greater force would defeat them and take their people into captivity.

If only Hezekiah’s descendents would have mimicked his faithfulness Jerusalem could have been spared the tragic end it faced not many years later. But greed, lust, selfishness, injustice, pride, all those base carnal emotions crept into their lives and they failed to honor Me as their God. In not too many years, Israel would lose its identity as a self-governing nation for more than two millenia.

Faithfulness to Me pays off. Unfaithfulness carries dire consequences.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.