The God of the Bible clearly states that all authority placed on individuals on this earth comes from Him. That includes Presidents. The American people may feel their vote put their candidate in office, but it is ultimately God’s choice who will be the next President of the United States. The apostle Paul writes, “Those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” (Ro.13:1b nlt) Being placed there by a holy God comes with the responsibility to administer their duties in a godly manner and what God directs through His Word, the Bible. This has nothing to do with any organized religion, but has everything to do with God, and God alone, and His Word being obeyed in every walk of life, and that includes governing a nation.
The commands of God throughout Scripture are not for only those in the day they were written. The Bible was written by 40 different authors through the Holy Spirit over 1,500 years. Obviously, it was not only for their time, but is God’s instruction book going forward for future generations to know Him, and His way of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. It is also the manual on how to govern and to live in a fallen world. Those in authority need to heed what God says in His book. Government leaders must learn from the mistakes of the kings in the Old Testament with their paganism and anti-God lifestyle. The Roman Empire in the New Testament brought about great achievements to provide infrastructure that was needed and improved society, but they also were a corrupt and pagan government and eventually the Roman Empire fell.
The United States government is no different than any other country in the world. All leaders are in authority by God to rule, punish evil doers, maintain peace, and provide security and protection for those under their governance. They are under His authority to govern righteously in accordance with His Words laid out in Scripture. The next President of the United States may think their sole responsibility is to uphold the constitution, or save democracy, but it is to submit to the Lord God of heaven who gave them their authority to use righteously and governed accordingly.
Have you ever wondered how the earth hangs in vast the spaces of the universe? Or what holds it in place and if it should drop, where and how far down would it go? Is there a bottom it would reach, and what would it be. All the other trillions of stars hang in space as well. They do not drop out of sight, and again if they did, how far down would they go until they reach bottom if there is a bottom? It is in times like these when my mind tries to understand what is impossible for me to grasp that I realize how much I underestimate the power of God.
Instead of trying to understand this with my limited knowledge I need to take it by faith in what God Himself says in His Word through the authors He inspired. Psalm 104 is a hymn of praise to God who created the heavens and the earth, a parallel to the Genesis account of creation. The psalmist writes, “You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.” (Ps.104:5 nlt) It is not going to move or drop out of space because God set it on its foundation. Of all the images available of the earth hanging in space, I’ve never seen one with it resting on a foundation as the world globe I have in my office. God Himself is the foundation. He holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand.
Underestimating the power of God is a foolish thing to do. One look at creation, God speaking our world and the entire universe into existence, should put to rest any doubt this same God can solve any of our problems and help us in our time of need. Do you find yourself underestimating His power and more importantly His love for you? The Lord’s love for you is as great as His power, and He will use His power to help you. It is the same power that placed the earth where it sits on its foundation never to be moved.
“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16 NLT
God calls every Christian to holy living. In fact, He says ‘you must be holy.’ Don’t allow God’s statement to alarm you. He is not calling you to be perfect as He is without a trace of sin. We all know that is not possible, and if anyone knows that is not possible it is God. So, what does God mean when He gives us this command, we must be holy. He is calling us to holy living and not to a perfect sinless life without any flaws or defects. And is this possible, yes!
The Lord is calling us away from our old way of living before we were saved. Dr. John MacArthur notes, “Holiness essentially defines the Christian’s new nature and conduct with his pre-salvation lifestyle.” We are called to live separately from the sinful ways of the world as the new Christ-like nature takes over. Being holy, in essence, is being separated from the world and not living in accordance with the world systems. Christians are to be set apart from sin and impurity and set apart to God.
Habakkuk 1:13 says, “But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.” (nlt) The hearts and minds of every Christian should continually reflect on the purity of God. Our goal is to live in purity and recognize God cannot stand the sight of evil. When we fail, which will be often, the Lord offers forgiveness when we confess and He gives us grace to see us through as we continue on with our call to holy living.
“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9 NLT
It is not always easy to get motivated. There are times when you just don’t feel like doing anything. It could be caused by emotions or in my case the body won’t let me respond as it should, I think they call it ‘not being as young as I used to be.’ But once I get going, I’m good.
Not being motivated to worship and serve God has nothing to do with how old or young you are. It does happen, and there are many reasons for lack of motivation for God. There are many things that get in the way and distract us daily. We find ourselves picking and choosing what we have time for with what we enjoy most and pursuing those interests. After all, there are only twenty-four hours in a day. And some would say, life gets in the way. Yes, it is complicated, especially for young people with children. Life is hard enough, but trying to live life without a commitment to God is not going to work. You will find life even more frustrating, and you will begin to run around in circles losing motivation even in those things important to you.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was instructed by his father King David to get to know God intimately. David told his son to worship and serve God with a whole heart and a willing mind. This is one hundred percent commitment. With every ounce of Solomon’s being he was to worship and serve his God. David let Solomon know that God saw his heart and would know every plan and thought he had. God knows each of our hearts and every thought in our minds. He knows us intimately and He wants us to know Him intimately and to worship and serve Him with our whole hearts and with a willing mind. So, let’s get motivated.
“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:5 NLT
They say, ‘confession is good for the soul.’ I can testify to that myself for it is true. Whether it’s confession towards God or to a friend, co-worker, neighbor, my wife, or anyone else I may have offended or done them wrong, it is a good thing to do. It may not remove the consequences, and the hurt may take a while to dissipate but you have not only cleared the air but have lifted a burden of guilt before the Lord God.
David in one of the seven penitential psalms, Psalm 32, said the following, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.” (Ps.32:5a nlt) The other six penitential psalms are Ps.6, 38, 51,102, 130, 143. David describes his body as wasting away as he refused to confess his sin. His body was drained, and his strength was gone as absorbed by the summer heat. He felt God’s heavy hand upon him. Keeping his sin to himself, which really wasn’t to himself for God knew, just continued to eat him up inside. David needed some good for his soul.
When David confessed his sin to the Lord, the burden was lifted. God had forgiven him and took away his guilt. David said, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!” (Ps.32:1 nlt) David’s soul was restored, his body rejuvenated with God’s living water of forgiveness, he has a clean slate, and is surrounded by God’s protection. If you are in a refusal to confess state of mind, take heed to David’s testimony. It will continue to sap you of your energy until you make things right with the Lord and confess your sin to Him and whoever else needs to hear your confession. You will be forgiven, and your guilt will disappear and that will be good for your soul.
Hatred is a powerful force and if not dealt with will eventually destroy you as we will begin to see in chapter 5 of Esther. In chapter 4 Queen Esther learns of the official decree to destroy all the Jews. After being persuaded by her cousin Mordecai she agrees to approach the king uninvited to inform him of the innocence of the Jews and Haman’s hatred of them which precipitated the decree he agreed to. King Ahasuerus indifference to the people under his rule in the Persian Empire made it easy for Haman to sell his plan to him. The king obviously failed to notice Haman’s cunningness or any alternative motives on Haman’s part but rushed through without checking the facts. Leaders today have the same blind spots as they sign legislation and executive orders on the advice of those who are only there to serve themselves. And you can be sure there is also some hatred involved.
After three days of fasting and praying, Esther prepares to visit the king by putting on her Royal robes. She made her way into the king’s inner court and stood there waiting. The king noticed her and granted her favor by holding out the golden scepter. Esther may have found favor with King Ahasuerus, but she first found favor with God for her fasting and prayer. “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.” (Pr.21:1 nlt) The Lord directed the king to do what He wanted for Esther, hold out the golden scepter. Christians sometimes hesitate to call on the Lord in prayer for leaders in government not recognizing every leader’s heart is a stream of water God directs. Esther was a recipient of God’s guiding the king’s heart. The Lord did it then, He can do it again.
The king knew his queen enough to understand something was troubling her to approach him unannounced. “Then the king asked her, ‘What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!’” (Es.5:3 nlt) ‘Half the kingdom’ is hyperbole to make the point that the king took it seriously. It is interesting Esther would request a dinner invitation for him and Haman to be accepted. It is more interesting Esther did not confront Haman or tell the king of Haman’s real plan but invited them both to another dinner the next day. This could be answered by attributing this to the God’s providential hand. Haman became more full of himself by Queen Esther’s recognition of him and his high rank in the King Ahasuerus’ court. As Haman exited the palace gates there was Mordecai who again refused to bow to him. “Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious.” (Es.5:9 nlt)
Haman returned home and gathered his friends and Zeresh his wife to boast of his great day. He proceeded to brag about all his accomplishments, his wealth, his ten sons, and that Queen Esther herself invited only him to dinner with her and the king. For one who had it all, he was not very happy with his life. In fact, he was miserable. His hatred blinded him to all that he had, nothing satisfied him if Mordecai, the, Jew was alive. In Haman’s own words, “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” (Es.5:13 nlt) Haman exemplifies true hatred. Nothing else was important to him than to do away with his so-called enemy. The evil of hatred is alive and well in our day. We have many Haman look-a-likes from personal resentment, political opponents, religious extremists, to prejudice and racism, and the hatred of Christians worldwide fueling the attempted destructions of innocent people.
Haman didn’t need a lot of encouragement when his wife and friends came up with the solution to his problem. “Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.’ This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.” (Es.5:14 nlt) Satan has made his move by enticing Haman through his wife and friends to build a gallows fifty cubits (75 ft) high. The gallows would have been as high as the city wall for all the people Susa to see Mordecai hanging in death. The king would also have a good view from the palace which pleased Haman as he was sure the king would give the order to execute Mordecai for his failure to honor the king’s top official. Haman’s problem seems to be rectified for the moment, by God is about to make the next move in this chess match. To be continued…………
We often think of the business world, non-profit organizations, or educational institutions of employing managers to oversee their operations. There needs to be a responsible person who can be relied on to ensure what has been entrusted to them will run smoothly. I, for one, understand completely the role of management from my forty-five years in retailing. Even though I am no longer in retail management, I am still a manager. This website ministry needs to be managed to see it remains organized, true to the Word of God, relevant to the needs of the subscribers, and continually bring glory to God. A huge responsibility and privilege the Lord has given me in overseeing His work. But my forty-five years in retailing was also a privilege He had given me to oversee His work as well. And He has entrusted me in managing my own life with His help.
Whatever position God had placed you in, you have a responsibility to manage what has been entrusted to you. You may be a manager of a large corporation, or a team leader in your place of employment, or the head of your neighbor watch group, whatever it is Paul encourages you to be faithful, in fact he says, ‘you must be faithful.’
Perhaps you are saying to yourself, ‘I am not a manager’ but you are. The Lord has entrusted every Christian with the responsibility of the gospel and how we live our lives. We are to manage our lives in a way that pleases and brings glory to Him. Opportunities to share the gospel should not slip by due to neglect. When you are managing your affairs with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, strangers you meet every day, and yourself, you are a manager who has God given responsibilities entrusted to you. Remember Paul’s words, “Now, a person who is put n charge as a manager must be faithful.” (1Cor.4:2 nlt)
“Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.” Psalm 105:1 NLT
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15 NLT
Role models have paved the way for successful people to reach their goals in life. Mentors are involved in a more personal and deeper approach in influencing an individual to success. Both deserve recognition for what they have done and be able to help others the same way if their efforts were well known. The same is true for Christian role models and mentors. Those who benefit from them should spread the word of their influence enabling them to help others.
Not many of us share the same role models or mentors, but every Christian has the same role model to learn from, Jesus Christ. In fact, every person living today can learn from this role model and be influenced by His mentoring if they only knew of Him. For others to know Him, Christians need to be vocal first in telling what He has done for them personally leaving nothing out. Second, living the life that supports what was said to be true, and third mentoring them for them to mentor others.
Now to get personal. Think through very thoroughly all the Lord has done for you. It probably won’t be a bad idea if you compile a list, but make sure you have enough paper or space on your hard drive. It may surprise you and be an eye-opening experience all the Lord has done for you. Then let us as the psalmist says, “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.” (Ps.105:1 nlt) Jesus calls us the light of the world. We can’t help but shine naturally so may we add words to why we shine by telling everyone what the Lord has done for us.
“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12 NLT
There is an old saying that goes, ‘If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.’ I suppose that is true if holding good things happening to you is a matter of luck. It is easy to assume that everything bad occurring in life is due to bad luck, therefore the old saying becomes a matter of fact. But is it always luck that is in play in the circumstances of life? Perhaps not. Perhaps it’s something more.
Peter, in writing to Christians of his day, wrote “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.” (1Pt.3:10 nlt) Happy days which lead to an enjoyable life start with always telling the truth and not saying anything that is evil. You will never need to worry about anything coming back at you if you tell the truth. Peter went on to say, “Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” (1Pt.3:11 nlt) Doing good things, striving for peace and living in it will never result in negative circumstances. There’s no luck involved.
There is also no bad luck involved when bad things happen. When we are not walking in obedience with the Lord, we should not be so surprised if bad things happen. Peter writes, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” (1Pt.3:12 nlt) Going our way by turning our back on God, doing bad deeds, will not result in the Lord’s blessings.
Yes, bad things do happen to faithful Christians under the providence of the Lord for His purposes. But we can be sure His eye is always on us during these times, and he is attentive to our prayers. It is our disobedience that brings about most of our bad times. It is not our bad luck, but our bad deeds.
“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NLT
Chapter 4 of the book of Esther opens with the disastrous news of the scheduled destruction of the Jews reaching every province in the kingdom. “And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.” (Es.4:3 nlt) In the city of Susa in front of the king’s gate was Mordecai with his clothes torn and covered with sackcloth and ashes, the sign of mourning. The news of the king’s decree was unconscionable and caused great sorrow to every Jew in the Persian Empire, but especially for Mordecai. He realized it was his resistance to Haman that such a genocidal edit was given against all the Jews.
Innocent people are often considered guilty by association in our world today. To satisfy a self-perceived wrongdoing an entire class of people are found guilty. Mordecai clearly did nothing wrong, but Haman’s hatred for his actions were inferred through the entire Jewish race. Modern-day Christians are subject to mass hatred for their standing on Biblical principles. One or two individuals are referenced in committing perceived hate speech, intolerance, or proselytizing in the public square and Christianity is now subject to scrutiny by the authorities. This should not deter any Christian of speaking the truth in love.
Members of the royal court, the Queen’s maids and the eunuchs took notice of Mordecai, also a royal official, with his clothes torn and in mourning. After hearing of Mordecai’s appearance Esther sent out a change of clothes for him. She desperately wanted to know what had happened but couldn’t meet him inside the king’s gate the way he was dressed. To impress upon Esther how serious of a problem he had, he refused the clothing. Esther then sent out Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who attended to her to speak to Mordecai. “Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.” (Es.4:7 nlt) Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree which he was able to obtain being a royal official, asking him to give it to Esther and for her to go to the king and beg his favor concerning the death sentence on the Jews.
Esther may have been queen and her husband the king, but she was put in a tough spot. It was a matter of life or death for Esther at this point. No one was allowed to make an uninvited visit to the king by entering the inner courtyard unless they were called by the king. It meant instant death unless the king raised his golden scepter. It was a matter of security as unannounced visits were viewed as possible assassination attempts on the king. Esther revealed she hadn’t been summoned to the king for thirty days and may certainly cause suspicion if she entered the court.
It’s hard for us to imagine a governing system as in those days. Yes, we also provide protection for our leaders, but to consider one’s wife as a possible threat would seem a little over the top. But maybe not so much in the days in which we live. Governments around the world are becoming more corrupt and the lack of trust within and outside the government is increasing year after year. Satan is actively busy making his moves as his time is starting to run out.
When Mordecai receives Esther’s answer, he is quick to spell out the truth. “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed.” (Es.4:13 nlt) Mordecai tells her if she remains silent and doesn’t do anything that God will still save His people but by other means. But perhaps this was the very reason why she became queen. Mordecai had faith God would not abandon His people and would indeed rescue them. He persuaded Esther by explaining she may die either way, by the king’s body guards or as part of Haman’s extermination plot.
Esther reveals her true spirit, courage, and faith in God. She tells Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa and fast for three days, and she would do the same with her maids. Normal fasting was one day, but Esther asked for three due to the gravity of the situation. Scripture doesn’t mention prayer with this fast, but they always go together. No doubt they will also be praying to the Lord God for Esther’s uninvited approach to the king. Esther goes into action with conviction, courage, and faith in God. She submitted herself to God’s will whatever the outcome.
Esther provides a lesson for Christians today not be silent in the injustices of our brothers and sisters in Christ when we are able to do something. Speaking out against the wrongs and taking Esther-like action submitting ourselves to God may get us into trouble, but if we don’t respond, God will call someone else to do the work. It might as well be us. We are here ‘for such a time as this.’
