The Christian's Crowns

 

                    Title and Other images courtesy of Pixabay.com

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  Blessed are those who wash their robes.  They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.  Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.  “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches.  I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne.  I am the bright morning star.”  Revelation 22:12-16

God is moving history to the conclusion He has planned.  History has its beginning; we are now within the limits of the beginning and ending.  It is natural, and the time is coming, that God will determine to bring the chapter of time and space as we know it to a close.

Life is difficult enough.  If you don't sense any meaning in life, or at least a light at the end of the tunnel, it can be an impossibility to enjoy, or even cope with life.  Sitting in the sixth-grade assembly at the end of the year, I was suddenly shocked to find that they were going to hand out awards for achievements.  I can remember thinking to myself, Why didn't somebody tell me?  I would've gotten better grades!  This morning we will put that excuse to rest. 

The meaning, or light at the end of the tunnel that we deal with this day is:    

What about God's awards ceremony?

The text, particularly verse 13, mentions the reward of Jesus.  The word literally means wages.  The Bible is full of information about these WAGES or CROWNS.

Certainty of Crowns

The reality that Jesus is coming again to the earth is hard to miss in the New Testament.  But the text says that He is coming soon.  From  our perspective, two thousand years is not what you would really call soon!  But, as Einstein pointed out, time is relative.  Factors such as speed and gravity have their effect on time.  God moves in a dimension you and I have little knowledge about.  He is above time and space, which He created.  The greater includes the lesser (as a quarter has a dime-and-a-half within it)  God is greater than time, but operates within His creation. 

There are two possibilities, and they sum up what will happen in our lives:

A.    He is coming at our death. 

For some, like my Grandmother, death carries us to see Jesus.  As Paul wrote, absent from the body is present with the Lord. 

The other possibility:

B.    He is coming back in the clouds. 

At Jesus’ arrest and trial, the religious leaders wanted Jesus to confess to what they considered blasphemy, that he was God’s Messiah:

Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

Jesus said, “I am.  And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.  Mark 14:61a-62

Jesus was talking about the parousia, the second Advent or coming of Christ.  Atheists laugh, skeptics explain it away, and agnostics refuse to think about it, but the Bible simply declares its reality. 

Either way, at death, or in the clouds, the Lord is coming TO us!  That is a great comfort and hope to me.  And, since God never lies, we can count on what the angels said to the disciples ^{(Acts 1:11)} as they watched Jesus' ascension into heaven, promising He would come again in the same manner.  So whether by our death, or trumpet sound, we should be prepared. 

A family moved to a new neighborhood, and the mother was registering her little boy for school.  At 6 years-old he was a hyper sort, always getting into mischief.  The mother filled out all the required information on shots, Doctor, and previous school.  But when she came to the large open space for "COMMENTS," she simply wrote in huge block letters:  BRACE YOURSELVES. 

That’s what the apostle meant in our text about coming SOON.  John records the words of Jesus:  Brace yourselves, I am coming again soon!

When Scripture says something repeatedly, it’s wise to pay very close attention.  And Jesus did mention this several times before they crucified him. 

Our crowns are a certainty, so we want to know…what kinds of crowns?

Catalogue of Crowns

I'm certain one could make a more exhaustive list of crowns that are going to be a part of God's awards ceremony; however I will list only four:

1.  The Soul Winner’s Crown

…for those who participate in bringing people to Jesus.  Old Testament Prophet Daniel talks of those who lead others to righteousness. 

Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.  Daniel 12:3

The writer of Proverbs^(11:30) says it clearly that...he that winneth souls is wise. 

How do you participate in soul-winning?  There are many ways, praying, giving, going, and living a holy life, ready to tell anyone who will listen why you do.  Paul reminded Timothy, an inexperienced young pastor:

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.  2 Timothy 4:2

Is it your desire to see souls saved?  That desire doesn’t quite hit the mark!  The soul winner's crown is for participating.  When you have a strong enough burden to be involved, you will find a way. 

A denomination, a church, or a believer not involved in efforts to win souls is not wise.

 

2.  The Crown of Glory

…is a pastoral crown for those elders that feed the flock ^{(1 Peter 5:4)}.  Beloved, you don't have to be a pastor, or a deacon to win this crown.  You simply must be willing to pass the bread and butter down the table. 

When I was young Thanksgiving was always at our house for the extended family.  While Mom was in the kitchen preparing the food, Dad, my brother Thom, and I would do the other stuff.  We would set the table; get out the extra chairs; dust, and get ready to gripe about doing the dishes.  All this was necessary.  My mother cooked the food....but we helped. 

The fact that today is Mother’s Day ought to ring loudly in your ears, Dads, and children – a crown of glory means being a servant…not a king.  But being a servant, like so many mothers choose to be, always means a crown.

If you would receive the crown of glory just as pastor Peter and John and Paul will, then pass the bread of life on down the table!  Feed God's flock.

3.  The Crown of Life

…is for being faithful in trials. 

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

John wrote in a day when faithfulness meant death.  Roman emperors expected the worship of all the people.  To worship Jesus sometimes meant that you died the way Jesus did.  Before the Great Tribulation begins that concept may well come full cycle back to an everyday concern about being a Jesus-follower!

4.  The Crown of Righteousness

…means God's approval of your response to His claim on your life.  Paul told Timothy, in his last letter to the young pastor, that his fight was over, and the crown of righteousness was awaiting him in heaven.  Listen to what he said:

And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.                             2 Timothy 4:8

Paul had been faithful to answer the call of God, giving his whole life for the purpose of that call.

We must not miss the significance for you and me here:  God calls each of us...it is our responsibility to fulfill that calling.  Has He called you to be a policeman, or to witness to your neighbor?  Has He called you to be a faithful steward?  The crown of righteousness is God's smile over the fact that you have been willing to turn your back on your own desires and the allure of this world, and follow Him instead! 

In Chicago years ago the great evangelist D.L. Moody was preparing for a service inside the church.  Outside it was thundering and lightning, with torrents of rain.  A little girl ran in from outside and told him excitedly:  Mr. Moody, the world is coming to an end.  Moody said:  That's all right, Honey, we can live without it.

The very first thing God called you to is the salvation of your soul.  To win the crown of righteousness, you must accept the fact that you are not entitled to it, and that only Jesus' blood can purchase it for you. 

There is a certainty of crowns, and the catalogue of crowns....and finally,

Crowning of Christ

Two simple facts:

A.    THOSE WHO HAVE, WILL!

Those who, in this life, have been faithful to win crowns from Christ will, in heaven, then place them at His feet in heaven's glory.  It is the natural response of a thankful heart to give praise.  Blessed are those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.  Saved people will act like it!

B.    THOSE WHO HAVEN'T, CAN'T!

No matter what we have done in this life, if we have not placed a crown on Jesus' head, inviting Him to be Lord of our life, over our actions and thoughts, will not be able to do so in heaven.  Much of the Book of Revelation contains a list of those who have not invited Jesus to be Lord over their life.  Instead they have made it a practice to invite the baser things of this world to be their lord.  The consequence of a life lived apart from Christ is spending eternity that way….in Hell.

The question becomes, What are you preparing for....Who is your Lord? 

Boxer Joe Frazier said: 

You can map out a fight plan or a life plan.  But when the action starts you're down to your reflexes.  That's where your roadwork shows (the discipline of training).  If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you're getting found out now under the bright lights.

Time for Resolve

How do you feel about crowns?  Will you live this day, and every day with the expectancy of Advent...that our Lord may come back today?

Charles the Great was what the name Charlemagne means in French.  He was the builder of empires, and conqueror of the world.  He spoke, and it was done, in all the earth.  His riches rivaled Solomon's. 

On Christmas Day, 800 AD, he was crowned the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

He was a man.  He died. 

A thousand years later his tomb was opened.  To the shock of the archaeologists, they saw the corpse of Charlemagne sitting upright in a chair....the long, petrified finger of his right hand pointing to a verse in the Bible on his lap:

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"  Mark 8:36    

If you are to receive the crowns of Christ, YOU must first crown HIM King!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!  

 

 

Listen...and Know

 

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed?  Of course not!  A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.  For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.  Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”  Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear.  The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.  To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.  But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”  Mark 4:21-25

One of the most memorable advertising icons was the guy who continually asked, Can you hear me now?  That’s somewhat related to what my Dad would say when talking to his youngest son…Russell Jay, are you listening to me?  (Whenever my tall dad with the steel blue eyes used both my first and middle names it was time to sit up and take notice.  If he had to add your last name, the result would not be pretty).

There is something of that in Jesus’ teaching about listening and understanding.  The meaning is unmistakeable; disciples are not just to hear the words and grasp the connection of what is supposed to be learned.  Rather, it is a matter of listening with the intention of having the message change your behavior.  And the purpose for this can you hear me now moment is also very clear – there are consequences for how we respond.  For those who listen and put into practice what God speaks, there are rewards; skipping this Discipleship 101 class means loss.

So, what are the rewards and losses?  They have to do with what’s going on inside the center of your being, your soul.  For those who develop a listening heart, ready to understand and follow God’s will, it gets easier to hear His voice.  Life, even with all it’s difficulties and complexity, makes more sense; you learn how to be content with God’s ways and will, because you surrendered your will to His.  And when the tough times come you’re not blown off your pins, because you know the entirety of Heaven’s Host has your back…it will be well with your soul!

For those who maintain defiance, desiring little to be a follower, but rather a captain of his own fate and choices, the chances of hearing God’s voice and seeing His blessings in life grow dimmer with each passing year.  The final result is stone cold deafness to the Word of God, and blindness to how empty life can become.

What Jesus was setting up with his disciples is a life principle of surrendering our will to God’s will, so that the unseen God of the burning bush will be speaking, and you will already be un-lacing your sandals to bow at that holy place, because you’ve learned to listen.  Some of that learning was by trial and error…you walked-away, only to find you were lost on your own…but most of it will be because you chose faith in the God you cannot see, but Who sees you, and knows even the intentions of your heart.

For You Today

So, have you made the decision to surrender that inner person to the One who knows every atom in your body, heart, mind, soul, and strength? 

Judson van De Venter wrote about 100 hymns in the 19^th century.  One of his more well-known ones makes the point about this life of surrender:

All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.[1]

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

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[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

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[1] Source:  Hymnary.org

Saddle Up!

 

(An Exhortation to embrace life as a Christian adventure)

Some fear is healthy.  Starbuck in Moby Dick said to his prospective crew:  I’ll have no man in my boat who is not afraid of a whale!

Some fear isn’t so healthy.  Nelson Price had a short football career.  One night in a college game he scooped up a fumble and looked down the field at 95 open yards.  He ran with all his heart.  Price looked over his shoulder to see if he was being pursued; there was nothing but his own shadow.  He glanced back over the other shoulder and saw another shadow.  Knowing he was about to be tackled, he cut left, then right, swerving, and dodging with his best moves all 95 yards to the end zone!  When he looked back, there wasn’t a player within 50 yards.  The lights on both sides of the stadium had cast a shadow on both sides of Nelson Price.  He had put his best moves on his own shadow!^[1]

It could have been that way for Abram in the waning moments of the early morning darkness.  Abram could have seen lots of shadows when that voice first spoke to him. 

Then the LORD told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.   Genesis 12:1

God had something great in store for Abram and his descendants.  It all started with a man who was obedient to listen to that urging of God to Saddle-Up!

How do you feel about trail blazing?  What if God called you to leave the comfort and security of…your country, family, your father’s house, cousins, uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, smooth roads, huge shopping malls, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Satellite TV with 400 channels, showers with water pressure, microwave ovens, honest police officers, business opportunities, plush carpets, padded pews, multimillion dollar building projects?  What if God said, Get out!  Leave it!  Go?

Suppose you got a phone call from NASA.  You’ve been chosen to live in the space station…your task is to saddle-up and go on a great adventure, different than anything you’ve known.  Well, what would you do? 

IF you’re like me, you would probably say,

·       But I am not made to live in space, and it’s dangerous out there; people have died out there, and, besides, I like it here,

·       But…..But….But….

Has God ever shown you the road to the Great Adventure? 

And just what does that kind of road look like?  Let’s saddle-up and see.

It’s a Road God Shows You

In your life, either you lead, or God leads.  In the sixth grade (long before Mrs. Preacher came along), some girl tried to teach me to dance.  She kept saying, No, let me show you this way…  I kept saying, But I’M the boy – I lead! 

Well, I never did learn to dance very well – and most of the times I’ve messed it up in life were the times I wanted to get away from God’s leading in my life.  Sometimes the way God calls us to the road is not only unfamiliar, it’s downright frightening – like a COVID virus that changes everything!

It’s a Road Away from the Familiar 

Abram (who would later be named Abraham) lived a settled, safe life in Ur.  His family was prominent and rich.  Life was very good!  What God called him to was the life of a nomad – no home, no guaranteed water stops in the desert, no protection from scavenging thieves. 

What he could count on was sand in everything as they moved about the desert – sand in their eyes, sand up the nose, sand in hair, teeth, and grits!  And that unfamiliar sand out there would provide plenty of shadows – the unknowns!

Most of the things we fear in life are those things we have never faced – or will ever face.  We hold back!  I wanted to stay in the second grade.  Ms. Tufano was my first love.  She smelled good, and man she was pretty.  I liked the second grade.  The only reason I went to the third grade is Ms. Tufano became Mrs. Richardson just before second grade ended.  Imagine that!  I had told her I’d marry her – she didn’t need some guy named Richardson!  But she wouldn’t wait!  Imagine!

But the real reason I wanted to stay in the second grade was because Ms. Tufano made it safe, and happy, and fun.  That was familiar, and easy to handle.  Second Grade was a good place for Russell.  But it wasn’t the best place for me to stay.  God leads you away from the familiar sometimes because the great adventure, beyond the familiar, holds not only the good; it holds the best!

In 1980 our little band of Russell, Elizabeth, Jenn, Jason, and Carrie packed up our U-Haul, two cars and went to seminary.  New Orleans was another world!  We didn’t know a single person there, where we’d live, how we’d eat, or anything else.  All we had was a letter of acceptance from the Dean of Students.  God sent us – we left everything familiar and travelled away.  It was a Great Adventure!  It’s still unfolding; and it isn’t second grade. 

It’s a Road of Reward We May Never See

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I am going to give this land to your offspring.” And Abram built an altar there to commemorate the LORD’S visit. Genesis 12:7

Adoniram Judson was a great missionary.  He once said about serving God, and success:

There is no success without sacrifice.  If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you.  If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after.

Often on the road to the Great Adventure, we are called-upon to make great sacrifices.  God did that too.  His sacrifice had a name; that name is Jesus.

Whenever members of the body of Christ are called upon to make sacrifices, and they step up and place their offerings on the altar, only eternity will reveal the depth of those sacrifices – but make no mistake, those who sacrificed the greatest will reap the most out of this life of adventure!

It’s a Road of Tents and Altars 

After that, Abram traveled southward and set up camp in the hill country between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.  There he built an altar and worshiped the LORD.  Genesis 12:8

I have heard well-meaning Christian believers say to people they hoped would accept Christ, that following Jesus is a life of joy, peace and all problems solved.  That dog couldn’t find a trail to hunt if you chained him to it.  In fact, it is just plain untrue.  The life of a nomad is filled with difficulties.  When you live in a tent, ready to move whenever the leader says, “go” you are likely to have the roof on your tent leak, or the wind blow down your canvas walls. 

On the other hand, altars are strong places, built for worship.  It’s where you meet God.  Tents are portable.  You put down few long-lasting pegs in the sand.  However, everything in life truly precious is portable. 

·       Your relationships are portable, for here and eternity. 

·       Your service for God is portable. 

·       And your soul is portable – and transportable…to heaven when you die. 

So, on this road, build strong altars for God; just set up tent camps with yours.

It’s a Road that’s EASY to Wander OFF 

At that time there was a severe famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to wait it out.  As he was approaching the borders of Egypt, Abram said to Sarai, “You are a very beautiful woman.  When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘this is his wife.  Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’   But if you say you are my sister, then the Egyptians will treat me well because of their interest in you, and they will spare my life.” Genesis 12:10-13

One of the things I like best about the Bible is that it gives you a complete picture.  Abram was a man of God – he wasn’t God!  He wasn’t perfect.

You and God both know that you aren’t perfect.  If you fail to saddle-up for this Great Adventure because you don’t know if you can stay on the road, you have missed the point entirely.  We all hit the ditch.  When we first arrived in North Carolina twenty years ago, Elizabeth found every ditch on the side of every road between home and the Oak Hollow Mall with her Dad’s old Buick.  That didn’t stop her from going to the Oak Hollow Mall!

Beloved, if you get on the road, God will help you with your predisposition to wander off that road.  That’s why you have a Good Shepherd! 

It’s a Road that Leads back to
VOWS, Not Visions!

Pharaoh then sent them out of the country under armed escort—Abram and his wife, with all their household and belongings.   So they left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev— Abram with his wife and Lot and all that they owned, for Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.  Then they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where they had camped before.  This was the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshiped the LORD.   Genesis 12:20 – 13:4

Sooner or later, everything comes down to, and back to, the vows you make to God. 

Ø  The vow you make to Jesus to love and follow Him comes back to you in assurance, peace, and an eternity to be close to the one you followed.

Ø  The vow you make to give so others can hear of Him comes back to you in abundance, sometimes thirty-fold, sometimes sixty, and sometimes a hundred-fold!

Ø  The vow you make to God to share Christ daily with others who need to know comes back to you in others sharing with your loved ones who you just can’t win…and – in the end – it comes back in the echo of the heavenly father saying, Well done thou good and faithful servant…enter into thy master’s rest!

Every road you follow – every place you go becomes a small place sooner or later…as it did for Abram:

…and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death.  Genesis 25:8

There were detours, and plenty of bumps – but the road led.  And Abraham came home.  And we’re still talking about his Great Adventure today.  Abraham followed God.

The question before the house today is not for Abraham; the question is for you and me…

There’s a Great Adventure in God’s Kingdom for all of us…

…Are you gonna sit there, or saddle up?

Our Prayer

Father God, we praise you for letting us look over Abram’s shoulder at that road of Great Adventure.  We praise you even more to know that you call us to follow and be close to you.  And that you walk the road with us…to show us the way… to open the doors of opportunity to be your children on mission. 

We know how frail our hearts and minds, and sense of worth can be, and thank you for your promise of strength as the journey demands.

Help us, Lord, to honor you with readiness to saddle-up when you call…and be a light for your Word in this generation.

For the glory, honor, and praise to which You alone are worthy, o Lord, we pray in the Name of the Son, cooperating with the Spirit, to honor and lift up the Majesty of the Father.  Let it be so in each of our lives…Amen!

Note:  The idea for this sermon is credited to Dr. Clyde Fant, who preached a similar message entitled “On the Road With Abraham”

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

Go to VIDEO (worship service for May 31, 2020)

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[1] Nelson Price, Shadows We Run From, (Nashville, Broadman Press, 1975), 9-10.

When the House Turns Upside Down

[i][ii]

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “I have given Esther the property of Haman, and he has been impaled on a pole because he tried to destroy the Jews.  Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring.  But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.”  So on June 25 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Mordecai dictated.  It was sent to the Jews and to the highest officers, the governors, and the nobles of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.  The decree was written in the scripts and languages of all the peoples of the empire, including that of the Jews.  The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring.  Mordecai sent the dispatches by swift messengers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king’s service.  The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives.  They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies.  The day chosen for this event throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was March 7 of the next year.  A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies on the appointed day.  So urged on by the king’s command, the messengers rode out swiftly on fast horses bred for the king’s service.  The same decree was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa.  Then Mordecai left the king’s presence, wearing the royal robe of blue and white, the great crown of gold, and an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree.  The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere.  In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday.  And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.  Esther 8:7-17

The story of Esther turns one of our naïve house theories upside-down, that of an instant-ready Heaven, where there is nothing more to be accomplished; the principle of the Laws of the Medes and Persians doesn’t work that way. 

Haman, the evil-plotting, would-be throne-stealer, has duped the king, a basically good guy, into issuing a holocaust order against the Jews that on a coming day they would all be killed.  Mordecai, Esther’s uncle convinces Queen Esther to plead with the king for the lives of their people.  The evil protagonist, Haman gets wind of Esther and her uncle’s activity and has a large wooden pole prepared to impale Mordecai.  As Haman’s evil is exposed, the king, who dearly loves Esther, is so furious he has Haman impaled on the very pole meant for Mordecai. 

This is a plot that has thickened most Hollywood dramas.  But there is more.  According to the Law of the Medes and Persians, a decree issued by the king cannot be reversed.  According to the previous decree the Jews must die.  So, the king gives Esther the right to issue a further decree in His name.  She grants the legality of Jews to defend themselves without being held accountable.  The day is saved, and Mordecai is elevated to being King Xerxes’ right-hand man.

For You Today

Sometimes our view of Heaven is of a blurry-tunnel where we emerge ethereally peaceful on the other shore, with every complication figured-out.  God’s book, including Esther (which, paradoxically, never mentions the name of God), tells us otherwise.  As in Esther, evil is thwarted, and righteous justice prevails, so will Heaven set at right that which has been wrong.  But it won’t be entirely without our involvement.  As Esther and Mordecai had to scramble to come up with a solution to a messed-up situation – a holocaust set in motion by a misguided human choice – so believers will be charged with ruling in Christ’s kingdom.

I believe this is one of the chief reasons for our threescore-and-ten existence here on planet earth.  There is an apprenticeship necessary to become the kind of people God will use in ruling His beloved creation.  If that were not so, there could be no meaning to the pain we experience in this life.  God could take us directly to Heaven if He desired, but He doesn’t, so there is meaning in what we do and experience in this life.  Like the laws of the Medes and Persians, we cannot change the decrees of the past…but we can cooperate with God by opening our hearts to learn His ways, do His will in His Kingdom, and, like Mordecai, one day fully live-into that role of communing face-to-face with our Creator.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

Go to VIDEO

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[i] Title Image:   Pixabay.com

[ii] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The New Living Translation©