18/02: Esther - Week Nine - With Full Authority (the final day)
Category: Esther - It's Tough Being A Woman
Posted by: Luann
Can you believe it? This is it, the end of another study! In the categories to the right you'll see this and the Breaking Free study. So if you missed any part of Esther, or you want to begin one of these, you can always go back and read the thoughts of this crazy lady ;o).
There is something so fulfilling about finishing something! What is something in your life that gave you a sense of accomplishment? What did you see through to the end?
Here we are enjoying this grand finale, when Beth says:
The Jews in the early first century did what most religious people do when they lack a fresh work of God. They turned to legalism.
Legalism - focusing on the rules ignoring the relationship
I love Beth's insight on this ~ without a FRESH WORK OF GOD in our lives, we will get stale, focusing on rules.
This study has opened my eyes to the very real truth that God is at work ALL THE TIME! He hasn't missed you. He sees what is going on! He knows how that job loss will impact you and those you love. He understands how being left by your spouse causes you to doubt yourself everyday. He heard your cry when you got the diagnosis.
Open your hands and let go of your grip on life. We hang on so tightly to what we know, what we think, what we understand that we think anything else must be a mistake! Maybe I didn't hear Him correctly.
Think about the constant twists and turns this story of Esther has taken? In the beginning, she was an unknown! The king and queen had the world by the tale. Then one by one the pieces began to shift. Did you notice that nothing, NOTHING happened immediately? NOTHING! There were days that were slammed packed with stuff, but Esther and her story didn't go from "orphan to ordained" overnight.
One of my favorite quotes from this study is this:
"Maybe God allows 'Hamans' to come along so we'll quit being so at home here."
Throughout this entire study, if you and I had been in charge of the story, we might have ended it before it even begun! We might have said, "Well, she is an orphan, but at least she has a nice home with her cousin. Why do we want to rock the boat and send her off to be in the middle of that harem? Or maybe we would have stopped when she got to be queen with "and they lived happily ever after." You can be sure, we would not have chosen any of the hard times that happened throughout this story!
We like the road of least resistance! We want things to be smooth and consistent and when they aren't we feel somehow that life is out of control. My friend, that is not the case at all.
God wants us to lose control knowing that He's got it. He wants us to be uncomfortable with ho-hum lives. He has much to accomplish and it can't be done sitting in our pajamas on the couch!
Let's remember what shape the Jews were in when the little orphan girl came on the scene. They had been carried into exile from Jerusalem years earlier. They had become so accustom to their surroundings that it didn't even seem foreign anymore. If felt familiar, comfy, even friendly.
Some might say they had 'made the best of a bad situation.' But God had bigger plans. Plans that could not possibly happen if everything remained the same. There had to be some scary moments, some tense times, some nail-biting times for God to move the circumstances so drastically that everything got turned upside down!
Maybe now you can see why He has allowed a Haman in your life. Do you think that your world turned upside down could be a good thing?
When the divine presence of the Holy Spirit resides in your temple, you can be sure that God has much bigger plans. At times you may feel lonely and forsaken, but open your grip; you are on a road from Orphan to Ordained!
I have so enjoyed this ride with you! My biggest take-away value from this study is to THINK BIG! We serve a big God who can do all things. He has never been limited by our inabilities! God's plans rock my world!
What have you savored most about the journey?
There is something so fulfilling about finishing something! What is something in your life that gave you a sense of accomplishment? What did you see through to the end?
Here we are enjoying this grand finale, when Beth says:
The Jews in the early first century did what most religious people do when they lack a fresh work of God. They turned to legalism.
Legalism - focusing on the rules ignoring the relationship
I love Beth's insight on this ~ without a FRESH WORK OF GOD in our lives, we will get stale, focusing on rules.
This study has opened my eyes to the very real truth that God is at work ALL THE TIME! He hasn't missed you. He sees what is going on! He knows how that job loss will impact you and those you love. He understands how being left by your spouse causes you to doubt yourself everyday. He heard your cry when you got the diagnosis.
Open your hands and let go of your grip on life. We hang on so tightly to what we know, what we think, what we understand that we think anything else must be a mistake! Maybe I didn't hear Him correctly.
Think about the constant twists and turns this story of Esther has taken? In the beginning, she was an unknown! The king and queen had the world by the tale. Then one by one the pieces began to shift. Did you notice that nothing, NOTHING happened immediately? NOTHING! There were days that were slammed packed with stuff, but Esther and her story didn't go from "orphan to ordained" overnight.
One of my favorite quotes from this study is this:
"Maybe God allows 'Hamans' to come along so we'll quit being so at home here."
Throughout this entire study, if you and I had been in charge of the story, we might have ended it before it even begun! We might have said, "Well, she is an orphan, but at least she has a nice home with her cousin. Why do we want to rock the boat and send her off to be in the middle of that harem? Or maybe we would have stopped when she got to be queen with "and they lived happily ever after." You can be sure, we would not have chosen any of the hard times that happened throughout this story!
We like the road of least resistance! We want things to be smooth and consistent and when they aren't we feel somehow that life is out of control. My friend, that is not the case at all.
God wants us to lose control knowing that He's got it. He wants us to be uncomfortable with ho-hum lives. He has much to accomplish and it can't be done sitting in our pajamas on the couch!
Let's remember what shape the Jews were in when the little orphan girl came on the scene. They had been carried into exile from Jerusalem years earlier. They had become so accustom to their surroundings that it didn't even seem foreign anymore. If felt familiar, comfy, even friendly.
Some might say they had 'made the best of a bad situation.' But God had bigger plans. Plans that could not possibly happen if everything remained the same. There had to be some scary moments, some tense times, some nail-biting times for God to move the circumstances so drastically that everything got turned upside down!
Maybe now you can see why He has allowed a Haman in your life. Do you think that your world turned upside down could be a good thing?
When the divine presence of the Holy Spirit resides in your temple, you can be sure that God has much bigger plans. At times you may feel lonely and forsaken, but open your grip; you are on a road from Orphan to Ordained!
I have so enjoyed this ride with you! My biggest take-away value from this study is to THINK BIG! We serve a big God who can do all things. He has never been limited by our inabilities! God's plans rock my world!
What have you savored most about the journey?
(RSS)
Joy wrote:
"God wants us to lose control..." Don't know if you've gleaned this or not Luann, but I like to be in control. Not in charge of everything, but in control of me. I like every 'i' dotted and every 't'crossed and every blank filled in correctly. That doesn't always happen in life. There are unknowns and uncertainties. But in that vast bewilderment, standeth God. He is calling me to abandon and abide.
One of my greatest take-away's from this journey is that there is never a situation I face where I cannot choose to be brave. God will always, ALWAYS give me the opportunity to choose courage. Living as little "Much-Afraid" is my choice...not God's.
I have also learned that I am an 'Esther' in my sphere of influence for God's purposes "for such a time as this".
One verse from our final reading that I want to highlight too, is Esther 9:29. "So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim."
As I viewed the final DVD this morning (so thankful I've had access to those from our church), Beth emphasized that our destiny's will not be fulfilled without our "along with's". We need to work in conjunction with others. She said the joy of partnership is unspeakable.
Luann, I am so thankful to have walked through the book of Esther "along with" you. What a treasured companion you have been on this journey. I have learned so much through your sharing and felt such a kinship develop. I just love you!! That's another thing I've savored on this journey - the friendship I have shared with you. Thank you so much.
Love ya my friend. Keep sharing His Word with passion. Until then next time,
warrior princess,
Joy