Another day with Jesus

  A Treasure of God’s Grace: Rahab. How was your week? Did you experience God's grace? He's amazing!    Boaz’s mother must have told him how the spies rescued her from Jericho. Do you realize she is Ruth’s second mother-in-law? Although Naomi was her first through her marriage to Mahlon, Ruth later married Boaz. We don’t know if Ruth and Rahab met, but it’s likely she’d died by the time Boaz married. He was much older than Ruth. By then, Bethlehem was an established town.     As Israel entered Canaan, God promised they’d conquer Jericho, and Rahab’s role was vital. The Lord chose a prostitute and a liar to protect the spies. Are you surprised? An odd negotiator for a military campaign? No-one in Jericho cared whether she lived or died. She knew how they felt about her, and she lived by her wits, a streetwise prostitute whose only value was the sale of her body.     Rahab was aware of God’s power before the Israelites invaded Jericho. H...

  Hope restored: Who’d have imagined? And Naomi praised the Lord again.   Art: Philip Hermogenes Caulderon 1833-1898. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5.   Life! As you mature, you reflect. As a young mum, you think the nappies, the cooking and cleaning are endless. There’s little opportunity to rest or take stock, but if you love Jesus, and you’re over sixty, you may understand why the Lord allowed you to walk that path. For me, losing my dad to suicide at twenty-one was an earth shattering experience. At seventy, I realize the Lord allowed it to change my life and my family’s trajectory. If you’re intrigued, you can read about it in my book, When They Prayed. Who would have thought I’d become an amateur writer or live in another state? Just as the Lord has shaped my journey, he’ll guide you if you trust him.      The numbers of mature women who live alone ha...

          Part 3… Esther, Mordecai, and the King of Persia     Sleep eluded the king. In frustration, he ordered his servants to read to him the events of his reign. He’d forgotten about the two gatekeepers who had been hanged. When he discovered Mordecai had alerted the authorities, the king guessed the Jew had been overlooked.   Another coincidence? Why tonight? Haman intended to execute Mordecai the next day. Remember the spiritual battle? Unknown to the Jew, God kept Xerxes awake to alert him to Mordecai’s integrity, and to engender his gratitude for saving the king’s life.          If Haman wanted to hang Mordecai on the gallows, he needed the king’s approval. He waited in the court until the king admitted him.   “How should the king honor an illustrious man?” the king asked Haman.   Haman’s chest swelled with pride. The king must be referring to him! Now Susa would ...

  ESTHER ENTERS XERXES’ COURT                  As we continue the story of Esther, I'm struck by this thought: when we realise the issues we've faced and survived were painful but worthwhile experiences, it's an opportunity for gratitude.  Esther's moment was the entrance to her freedom and the blessing of her people....    When King Xerxes elevated Haman, the Agagite, to the position of prime minister, the court and the officials kneeled at his feet, but Mordecai refused to pay his respects because he was a Jew. Mutual hatred existed between the Amalekites and the Jews. Haman was an Agagite of the Amalekites. King Saul, a Benjaminite of the same tribe as Mordecai, had slain the Amalekites and the prophet, Samuel, had killed their king, King Agag, four hundred years earlier. Mordecai also refused to offer obeisance to Haman because he worshipped God rather than a man. In Exodus 17:16, God prophesied there wou...

Let's begin a three part series about Queen Esther. While Israel faces a cruel war, it's comforting to remember there is an invisible hero who, throughout history, stands beside them...               ESTHER: A queen of faith and courage A despot, a vast kingdom, a villain, a beauty pageant, a beautiful queen, a harem, a massacre plot, and a Jewish diaspora in Persia. Esther’s story is a thriller, but the real protagonist’s name never appears in the text. Who is he?   Have you ever wondered whether you’re doing the ‘right thing,’ whether you’re in line with God’s will? Esther struggled with this problem until her cousin encouraged and supported the toughest decision of her life.       King Xerxes of Persia ruled over a vast kingdom of 127 provinces, stretching from India to the upper Nile region of Africa. By 474 B.C., he’d been on the throne for six years, proud of his many conquests. The Jewish remnant who remained in Sus...

        Huldah, the Prophetess of Jerusalem   “Did you hear the king’s words? He’s asked us to enquire of the Lord.”   “Who will pray for us? Shall we consult Shallum’s wife, the prophetess, since the king’s warning is so alarming.” “Do you mean the wife of the wardrobe keeper?”      “ Indeed. Huldah lives in the second quarter, near the temple wall.”   In c.637 B.C., a young King Josiah of Judah swept idol worship from his kingdom. For generations, Judah and Israel had worshipped foreign gods. Two hundred years earlier, Athalia (the only queen to reign in Judah) had ordered her sons to remove the Lord’s sacred vessels from Solomon’s temple and dedicate them to Baal. Asherah poles and carved idols littered Jerusalem and the entire countryside. Idol worshippers believed Asherah was the wife of their god, and they erected poles in the temple in her honor.   Josiah ascended the throne when he was eight. By his tw...