13. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews.
14. "For if you remain completely silent at this tme, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
15. Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:
16. "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"
Esther 4:13-16
Esther- Queen of Persia, wife of King Ahasurus, who reigned over 127 provinces. A woman of integrity and striking beauty. A woman of such influence with the king that her tomb is guarded to this day, not by her own people, but by the enemy of her people. Bred for the throne? Hardly. Esther started her life as Hadassah, a little Jewish girl growing up in a typical Jewish home. Orphaned at a young age when her parents are slaughtered, she is taken in by her cousin, Mordecai. Nothing special about her growing up years. Not a prominent family in town. And yet, she becomes queen of a nation and saves her people.
How did a little Jewish orphan playing in the streets of a typical neighborhood come to save an entire nation? Certainly, she was a woman of destiny, but WHY? What made her different from all the other Jewesses? Her beauty? Well, her beauty got her into the palace, along with hundreds of other young girls, but beauty doesn't cause someone to lay down their life for others. Beauty doesn't translate into character and Esther was a woman of character. She loved God and honored Him. She lived her life according to His principles. She knew her life was in His hands and always had been. She feared God, not man. And she loved her people. No doubt the memory of seeing her parents slaughtered remained with her all her days and she knew she couldn't stand idly by and watch it happen to other families and children. She loved her people.
So, what does all of this have to do with you? Or me? Simple. We live in times that are as perilous as they've ever been. Wars and rumors of wars. Economic uncertainty. A housing market that's depressed. Government spending money faster than it can be printed. It's like the fulfillment of the Chinese curse- May you live in interesting times. Interesting times? Have they ever been more interesting?
"But," you say, "what can I do? I'm just an everyday guy or gal." Me, too. So was Esther. But, just like Esther, we can make a difference. God has a plan for you, just like He did for her (Jer 29:11).
Okay, God has a plan for me, but where do I start?
Start by loving your country. No, it isn't perfect. Nothing in this life is. The easy part is finding fault. The God part is loving it. Love it enough to humble yourself before God and pray for it. REALLY pray for it. Not the "Now I lay me down to sleep" kind of prayer, but the kind of prayer that shakes heaven and earth and moves the heart of God. If ever there was a time to cry out to God for our country, it's now. Rend the heavens with your prayers. And, just as Isaiah did, identify with the sins of your fellow man, the sins of our nation. No, you may not have committd those sins, but you can repent of them on behalf of this nation. Take them upon yourself as if you had and then repent of them. That's what standing in the gap is and God is searching for someone to stand in the gap for this country and move His heart so that He can move on our behalf. God has promised that if we will humble ourselves and pray, if we will turn from our wicked ways that He would hear us and forgive us and HEAL OUR LAND. Restoration. (2 Chron 7:14)
One other thing- get involved. Find a way, a place to make an impact on at least one other person's life. If you can do more- awesome! But commit yourself to touching at least one other life in a positive way. Help out with a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop. Read to a class of elementary school children. Volunteer at a hospital. Work with kids at risk of gang involvement. Run for local office. Smile at someone. Esther risked her life going before the king without being summoned. She got involved. She had prayed and others had prayed for her. She loved her people.
If we don't move the heart of God for our nation, what will we be leaving for our children and grandchildren to have to deal with? Is this the heritage we want for them? Pray for our leaders. You may or may not agree with their politics, but God has told us to honor them and to pray for them. Pray for them to have Godly wisdom and understanding. Pray for them to have Godly convictions and for them to govern us according to the Word and the heart of God. Pray for God to move their hearts and renew their minds. Pray for their safety. Pray for them with the heart of God.
And remember- just like Esther, you were brought to the kingdom for such a time as this.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Restoration and Fruitfulness
1) I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2) He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3) You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4) Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5) I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remans in me and I in him, he wil bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:1-5
While this parable is, absolutely, about remaining close to Jesus- abiding in him and, in so doing, being fruitful- there's another lesson here. A lesson you wouldn't pick up on unless you took a look at the original Greek and knew a little something about vineyards and their keepers. The second lesson is about your value to Christ and restoration.
John 15:2 tells us that those who do not produce fruit are "cut off", but the Greek word translated as "cut off" is airo, which, in addition to meaning remove or take away, is also "lift up". Considering the context of the parable, this is a much more accurate translation. In a vineyard, the vines are very valuable- they're what produce the grapes. When a vine falls to the ground, dirt gets on the leaves and the pores are clogged by dust, preventing the leaves from breathing and causing the leaves to be unproductive. The vinedresser carefully lifts the leaves up and gently washes the dust from them. They're then wrapped around the trellis or tied up and soon start to flourish. They're TOO VALUABLE to be cut off.
We were bought with a high price and are too valuable to be cut off and discarded, too. So, rather that cast us aside, He corrects us. Tenderly. Just as the vinedresser gently washes the bruised leaves, He gently corrects us and washes us clean as we repent. Cutting off is a last resort and, I believe, only done when one who was a believer makes a conscious choice to turn away from Jesus and reject Him as the Messiah. Our Father is patient and longsuffering. He will continue to speak to us regarding whatever the issue in our life is and, as needed, slowly turn up the heat! God is not willing that ANY should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and is willing to do whatever is needed to preserve us. That's why Jesus came and gave His life. So that we could live and not die. So that perishing was an option, not a given. And He's given us this parable to let us know that, when we fall into the mud, He's willing to lift us up and restore us to a place of fruitfulness.
From Genesis thru Revelation, God speaks continually about restoration. It was God who sacrificed the first animals to cover Adam and Eve. It was God who established the blood sacrifice to cover the sins of the children of Israel. It was God who sacrificed His own son to restore all of mankind to right relationship with Him- no longer simply covering our sins, but washing them away. Gone. Clean again. Restored.
We're all too often easily separated from the Vine. Cares of this life come, busy-ness takes up our time. There are children to raise, a house to tend to, meals to cook, clothes to wash- the list is endless. And before you know it, there's a cavern between you and your Father that would make the Grand Canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk. You've drifted away, ever so slowly, and slipped into sin. Maybe it's an innocent occasional glass of wine after the kids went to bed that turned into a drink after work with friends and, then, became partying into the wee hours of the morning that caused the distance. Maybe it's an introduction to a really nice, but unsaved, person that, though innocent enough, has pulled you away from God. Whatever it is, forgiveness is waiting to invade your life. It's hanging by a thread, waiting to fall on you like the rain that washes the dust from the leaves. Forgiveness brings restoration, which reconnects you to Jesus and brings fruitfulness. And, as far as I can tell, there's no waiting period for that fruitfulness to begin. There are no qualifying remarks- no 'you must repent and do 10 laps around the church followed by 3 days of prayer and fasting'. As far as I can tell, restoration happens as soon as forgiveness is received and you begin to blossom into fruitfulness.
So many times, when we've been restored, we waste time being remorseful for having fallen or drifted. Yes, I did say "wasted time". Your Father has forgiven you and forgotten what you did. When you continue to dwell on it, you're reliving something that, as far as God is concerned, didn't happen. And you're listening to the enemy of your soul telling you God's grace isn't sufficient- you haven't wallowed in it enough. Stop wallowing. Stop listening to your enemy. The Creator of the universe has forgiven you, so forgive yourself and move on. Move into fruitfulness.
Fruitfulness is a natural result of spending time with Jesus. Everyone who spends time with him flourishes and brings forth fruit, but make no mistake about it, fruit only comes from spending time with Him. "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine." (John 15:4)
Remain in the vine. Abide in the vine. Abide- dwell. Dwell in Jesus. Live in him. We are the branch that has been grafted in and we must dwell in Jesus in order to live. The moment we begin to drift, we begin to die. We can't survive with one foot in each world. Move a fraction of an inch toward the world and it's empty promises and you start to wilt- just like a plant that's been deprived of water withers and dies, so we wither and die without the living water that only Jesus can give. But, just like a wilted plant that springs back when watered, when we return to Jesus, he gives us that living water that restores us. Jesus came to bring restoration. He came to restore that which was taken from us. He came to restore us.
No mater what you've done, haven't done, thought about doing- if you need restoration, Jesus is offering it. He has good seed for you to sew and a harvest for you to reap. He has fruit for you to produce. He has a great life for you. Don't rob yourself of that opportunity by choosing to wallow in unforgiveness. Almost before you can finish saying "I'm sorry, God" you're forgiven. So receive your forgiveness and, then, move forward. There's nothing in the past worth loosing the future over. Let the Vinedresser lift you up out of the mud and lovingly, tenderly wash you clean and bring you into fruitfulness.
(Teaching based on Secrets of the Vine by Darlene Marie Wilkinson)
John 15:1-5
While this parable is, absolutely, about remaining close to Jesus- abiding in him and, in so doing, being fruitful- there's another lesson here. A lesson you wouldn't pick up on unless you took a look at the original Greek and knew a little something about vineyards and their keepers. The second lesson is about your value to Christ and restoration.
John 15:2 tells us that those who do not produce fruit are "cut off", but the Greek word translated as "cut off" is airo, which, in addition to meaning remove or take away, is also "lift up". Considering the context of the parable, this is a much more accurate translation. In a vineyard, the vines are very valuable- they're what produce the grapes. When a vine falls to the ground, dirt gets on the leaves and the pores are clogged by dust, preventing the leaves from breathing and causing the leaves to be unproductive. The vinedresser carefully lifts the leaves up and gently washes the dust from them. They're then wrapped around the trellis or tied up and soon start to flourish. They're TOO VALUABLE to be cut off.
We were bought with a high price and are too valuable to be cut off and discarded, too. So, rather that cast us aside, He corrects us. Tenderly. Just as the vinedresser gently washes the bruised leaves, He gently corrects us and washes us clean as we repent. Cutting off is a last resort and, I believe, only done when one who was a believer makes a conscious choice to turn away from Jesus and reject Him as the Messiah. Our Father is patient and longsuffering. He will continue to speak to us regarding whatever the issue in our life is and, as needed, slowly turn up the heat! God is not willing that ANY should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and is willing to do whatever is needed to preserve us. That's why Jesus came and gave His life. So that we could live and not die. So that perishing was an option, not a given. And He's given us this parable to let us know that, when we fall into the mud, He's willing to lift us up and restore us to a place of fruitfulness.
From Genesis thru Revelation, God speaks continually about restoration. It was God who sacrificed the first animals to cover Adam and Eve. It was God who established the blood sacrifice to cover the sins of the children of Israel. It was God who sacrificed His own son to restore all of mankind to right relationship with Him- no longer simply covering our sins, but washing them away. Gone. Clean again. Restored.
We're all too often easily separated from the Vine. Cares of this life come, busy-ness takes up our time. There are children to raise, a house to tend to, meals to cook, clothes to wash- the list is endless. And before you know it, there's a cavern between you and your Father that would make the Grand Canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk. You've drifted away, ever so slowly, and slipped into sin. Maybe it's an innocent occasional glass of wine after the kids went to bed that turned into a drink after work with friends and, then, became partying into the wee hours of the morning that caused the distance. Maybe it's an introduction to a really nice, but unsaved, person that, though innocent enough, has pulled you away from God. Whatever it is, forgiveness is waiting to invade your life. It's hanging by a thread, waiting to fall on you like the rain that washes the dust from the leaves. Forgiveness brings restoration, which reconnects you to Jesus and brings fruitfulness. And, as far as I can tell, there's no waiting period for that fruitfulness to begin. There are no qualifying remarks- no 'you must repent and do 10 laps around the church followed by 3 days of prayer and fasting'. As far as I can tell, restoration happens as soon as forgiveness is received and you begin to blossom into fruitfulness.
So many times, when we've been restored, we waste time being remorseful for having fallen or drifted. Yes, I did say "wasted time". Your Father has forgiven you and forgotten what you did. When you continue to dwell on it, you're reliving something that, as far as God is concerned, didn't happen. And you're listening to the enemy of your soul telling you God's grace isn't sufficient- you haven't wallowed in it enough. Stop wallowing. Stop listening to your enemy. The Creator of the universe has forgiven you, so forgive yourself and move on. Move into fruitfulness.
Fruitfulness is a natural result of spending time with Jesus. Everyone who spends time with him flourishes and brings forth fruit, but make no mistake about it, fruit only comes from spending time with Him. "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine." (John 15:4)
Remain in the vine. Abide in the vine. Abide- dwell. Dwell in Jesus. Live in him. We are the branch that has been grafted in and we must dwell in Jesus in order to live. The moment we begin to drift, we begin to die. We can't survive with one foot in each world. Move a fraction of an inch toward the world and it's empty promises and you start to wilt- just like a plant that's been deprived of water withers and dies, so we wither and die without the living water that only Jesus can give. But, just like a wilted plant that springs back when watered, when we return to Jesus, he gives us that living water that restores us. Jesus came to bring restoration. He came to restore that which was taken from us. He came to restore us.
No mater what you've done, haven't done, thought about doing- if you need restoration, Jesus is offering it. He has good seed for you to sew and a harvest for you to reap. He has fruit for you to produce. He has a great life for you. Don't rob yourself of that opportunity by choosing to wallow in unforgiveness. Almost before you can finish saying "I'm sorry, God" you're forgiven. So receive your forgiveness and, then, move forward. There's nothing in the past worth loosing the future over. Let the Vinedresser lift you up out of the mud and lovingly, tenderly wash you clean and bring you into fruitfulness.
(Teaching based on Secrets of the Vine by Darlene Marie Wilkinson)
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