July 17

Esther 6, 7  Luke 12

 

Watch out Haman, Esther and Mordecai have you in their sights. The king cannot sleep one night and decides to read the history of his own reign. (No one said this was a guy you would want to be friends with!) He comes upon an incident he had forgotten--Mordecai had told about a plot to kill the king and thereby save the king's life. The king asked someone how Mordecai had been honored. He was told that nothing had been done. So, he called Haman in and asked how someone who  had done a great service for the king should be honored. Haman thought the king was talking about him and went on and on about the honors. Of course, it was Mordecai who received them.

Then the king and Haman went to Esther's banquet. She told the king that someone was trying to kill her and all of her people. The king was outraged. "WHO??" "Haman." Haman got trotted out and hanged on the scaffolding he had prepared for Mordecai. And, Esther made sure that the order that had gone out throughout the kingdom to kill the Jews was cancelled. She saved her people.

 

Luke 12 has many parables and stories. Look at verses 13-21. The rich man there may be a little like Haman, thinking that he has everything under his control and then discovering that this is not the case.

 

A few questions for you to think about as we end our week together:

 

How does your faith influence the way you live your life?

 

Are you using your the gifts that God has given you to their best advantage?

 

What bold thing might God be calling you to do so that others might come to know the gracious forgiveness and salvation that we have come to know for a sure and certain fact through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ?