Be that as it may, we’ve got this nice Jewish girl in the harem of a gentile king. Now what—well, God seems to get to work. Mordecai and Esther make their choice and now God works in the context of that choice. Look at Esther 2.When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. The girl pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. Esther 2.8-9 NIV Go back to Daniel 1. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel…. Daniel 1.8-9 NIV God at work, at work making the officials favorably disposed toward his kids who find themselves in foreign situations. Now again, most of us are more comfortable with Daniel here, with God stepping up to the plate for Daniel, after all, he’s a good guy, who is determined to stay faithful to God no matter what the cost. Esther on the other had as we are told in Esther 2.10, hides the fact that she is Jewish which probably means that unlike Daniel who struggles to stay pure, that Esther probably eats food she ought not to eat, does things she ought not to do, and doesn’t pray in the manner prescribed, and a bunch of other stuff besides.

Perhaps the greatest irony in this is that back in Israel Ezra is decrying intermarriage (Ezra 9.10-12). While he cries out, Esther is making all the right moves to do what Ezra says shall not be done. And Esther does it at a time when things really are not desperate (they will be, but she doesn’t know that). And when times do get desperate Esther tries to get her uncle to find another way to deal with the situation (Es. 4.12-14). Mordecai’s take, relief and deliverance will take place for the Jewish people, I think the best option is for it to come through you as the queen, I think that maybe God has put in you in place for such a time as this—but if God doesn’t use you, he will rescue us in some other way. If that is the case, then why doesn’t God choose another way, why does he continue to work through Mordecai and Esther who have made choices that would make many of us blush?

The answers don’t come in the book. Maybe God is just letting us know that he will do his work, even through imperfect people. Maybe God is letting us know that he will do improper rescues that need some forgiveness in the midst of them. Or perhaps God knows and understands that in life choices are not always as easy as we’d like them to be, that life is not as black and white as we’d like it to be and he wants us to know that when we struggle with making the right choices that seek to honor him, to live in a way that brings about his kingdom, that when we do that he can still work through our less than perfect choices. Whatever his reason, an improper rescue is the way of this day and the author never takes the sharpness off and lets us move back into the world of disney.

My sadness for personal study time being cut back has been overshadowed with my joy for Church History and my other theology class.  I love theology as always, but Church History is by far my favorite class I’ve taken to this point.  So don’t cry for me Argentina, I’ve been doing just fine with my head in the books.  By the way, if you see a post on craigslist for a high school student to take a certain Algebra course for someone, don’t worry about…just keep on browsing.

Until Later…Make Much of Him!

Today is the final day of my first writing series that just happened to be on the book of Luke.  I think this series will end appropriately by focusing on the work that was done through Jesus Christ.  Awhile back I created a desktop wallpaper that contains the words “Jesus Wins.”  I created the wallpaper shortly after a discussion with a friend.  We decided that too many Christians, including ourselves, get flustered and stressed out over every little concern in life.  When we started discussing Colossians 1:15-29 and those verses led us to the conclusion of what exactly happened out of the grave that morning.  Jesus Won!

Throughout God’s story Jesus is woven in and out.  We see Jesus in the OT, we Jesus in the NT, and we see Jesus now working through the Holy Spirit.  I see lives around me that are transformed.  I interact with people who my old self would never had given the time of day to.  I see people who give as if nothing was theirs (newsflash..it’s not).  I see people praising, helping, and just loving on others around them.  Each one of these people are embedded with a sense of greater purpose.  These people understand that “Jesus wins.”  The story has been written.  In John 19:30 we are told that Jesus even cried out that “it is finished,” upon bowing his head to die.

Just as the woman were perplexed by the message from the angels concerning Jesus’ words…we are today.  Too often I find myself getting caught up in worrying about things that really don’t matter.  I seem to forget that Jesus has won this whole deal and I’m just here to play a part in His continuing mission through that victory.  I’m here to bring glory to God through the victory that has already taken place.  There’s no reason to stress out.  Now I’m not saying that this is an easy concept, but I do think it makes Paul’s letters a lot easier to understand.  How do we count it all joy in our sufferings/persecutions?  Why do we care about carrying this message across the world?  How can we become so passionate that we’re willing to give up this life for His mission?  I have to think that part of the answer to all of these is understanding that “Jesus Wins.”

Let’s not be perplexed at all the things that life gives us.  Let’s not be perplexed by the idea that Jesus has won this thing.  The Bible tells us the plan, gives us the roadmap, and details the account of the victory from beginning to end.  Read it, know it, love it, and live your life in response to this gift that has been handed to you at a great price.  Live in Victory!

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”                        -1 Cor 15:57-58-

Make Much of Him!

Recently I was at a conference where Francis Chan gave great example on how to teach your kids the concept of grace.  His daughter really struggled on a test in school and did very poorly.  Now I’m sure it was because she didn’t prepare and study as she should have, but the point is that she didn’t do as well as she could have.  As Francis’ daughter waited for him to come home she was terrified at what the reaction and punishment might be.  When dad walked through the door she told him all about her paper and then quietly awaited her fate.  Francis’ proceeded to tell his daughter to grab her stuff and come with him.  He took his daughter out for ice cream and some quality time alone with dad.  They had a great time and at the end of the night his daughter asked her dad why he did all this since she failed her paper.  Francis’ then took the opportunity to explain the idea of grace, or unmerited favor.  His daughter will always remember that and can now better understand God’s grace that is given to us because of that lesson.

Jesus has been beaten to an unrecognizable state.  He is hanging on a cross slowly bleeding out, and these two robbers/murders start talking to Him.  One man understands true life and grace better than most of us ever will.  This one man understands that he deserves exactly the predicament that he is in.  He understands that Jesus does not deserve any of this and willingly came to this place.  He believes that Jesus is the Messiah and humbly asks Jesus to enter the kingdom.  Jesus’ last act on the cross before death is bringing a man from death to life.  He brought him from an old nature to a new nature alive in Christ.  This would be the beginning of something huge!  Something Jesus continues today.

Francis’ daughter didn’t deserve the ice cream.  The prisoner on the cross deserved the cross.  I don’t deserve to be in eternity with Jesus Christ.  It was no small act of grace for Jesus to willingly give His life over, become a curse, and to rise again for God’s glory through our submission to Him and His Spirit.  I thank Christ daily that I don’t get what I deserve.  The amazing grace given by Jesus to the prisoner on the cross is still available to us today.  He still calls us to fall on our knees, submit our lives to Him, and cry out:  “Jesus, remember me in your kingdom!”

Make Much of Him

Growing up I always wanted to be my mom’s favorite.  Most of you understand those feelings.  We all long to be the “chosen child.”  Along with those feelings came plenty of opportunities to try and win my mom’s love over my sister.  Whenever my sister got into an argument or fight with my mom, I’d make sure to always side with and comfort my mom.  This was a no-brainer, because I wanted to be the favorite.  However, I’m 27 now and my mom loves me the same as she always did.  She loves and cares for us equally.  I’m thankful for this because I probably did a lot more things in my life that would negate that love than my sister did.  The love of my mother is amazing and I am grateful.

Aren’t we just ignorant and stupid sometimes?  Look at the disciples’ discussion right after partaking in the Passover supper.  Jesus is giving up His life for them.  Jesus has been serving them for over 3 years, and this is the discussion their having?  My first response is, “Are you kidding me, you idiots!  You just don’t get it.”  They so desperately want to be the greatest in Jesus’ eyes.  However, they wanted the same thing in Luke 9, and Jesus’ response is pretty much the same this time.  “In order to be the “greatest,” you must become the servant of all.”  I can’t help but think of a popular kid’s song I learned growing up, “If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all…”

I only thought they were idiots until I thought about my childhood and how desperately I tried to get my mother to love me more than my sister.  I was trying to exalt myself, my deeds, my emotions, and my desires above hers.  We do this with Jesus all the time.  I find this self-exaltation in my words, deeds, and desires.  I exalt the creation rather than the Creator.  Except this time that creation is myself.  I try to earn God’s favor or love, as if it could be earned in the first place.

In order to fully live out the mission of God I must learn to continually submit to the Spirit, and in doing so, become a servant of all.  If this is done, the Creator is exalted, which is the only thing that matters.

Make Much of Him!

During these 21 weeks I’ve learned many things.  This tends to happen when I open the Bible, study, and read it…go figure.  As I told the freshman boys last night, reading the Word of God always transforms me into becoming more of a reflection of Jesus Christ.  It matches my heartbeat up with that of Gods.  One specific thing that has increased in my life since starting this Luke study is a desire for the fullness of God’s glory to come.  I’m anticipating Christ’s return now more than ever in my life.

The reason why this desire has increased in my life is because I see how important this topic was to Jesus.  Most of Jesus’ writings and parables in Luke point to the second coming of Christ.  Whether that is the anticipation of glory or of judgment…Jesus finds this of the utmost importance.  This life is clearly a time to live out God’s mission in this world, only while we await Christ’s return.  In many circles the topics of heaven and Christ’s second coming have become cliché’s and they may have even derogated into a classification of hokey.  However, as I began to think about what I would write from Luke 21, I struggled to come up with anything other than those two topics.  I’ve written a lot about them over the past 22 days and believe there is a reason for that…Jesus is really concerned about this, and we should be as well.

If we don’t anticipate the second coming of Christ, we’ll never live out our mission from and for God.  Without a healthy and continuing recognition of eternity, glory, the lost, judgment, and the new life to come, we will never appreciate and love God fully.  From studying Luke 1-21 I can say that my appreciation and love for God has increased greatly…as it should.

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.  For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.  So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thess 5:4-11

Why is it that kids don’t seem to understand consequences.  I probably shouldn’t just separate kids in this discussion since millions of adults can’t seem to understand them either.  It’s an interesting phenomenon to me.  I’ve seen a child take their Tonka truck and proceed to throw it at the face of another child.  Now this happens all the time, but it never phases me to see the child’s reaction upon punishment…total shock!  Are you kidding me?  You didn’t know that you shouldn’t hit the other kid with a truck?  You didn’t know that an NFL superstar shouldn’t put a non-safety gun in your sweat pants pocket in a crowded night club?  Come on people, we know there on consequences to our actions.

Jesus’ parable in v9-16a reminds me of the 1.2.3 rule that parents have seemingly grasped onto.  Now I personally don’t care for this rule and believe more in my own personal form of the love and logic idea.  However, I have no real say in this conversation since I’m currently without child.  Either way, don’t you see Jesus kind of telling the people who they’ve had 1. Abraham, 2. Jacob, 3. David, 4. Elijah, 5. Jeremiah, 6. Isaiah, 7. John the Baptist, and now the very Son of God visits them to no avail?  Jesus is basically telling the religious leaders that they’ve rejected all these people’s words in the past and now they will end up killing Jesus for His.  However, this world and everything in it, is still Gods.  Jesus is telling them that there will be a day when God gets the land back and judgment will be upon those “tenants.”

Judgment is a hard topic to discuss, which is why I don’t mind discussing it.  Francis Chan says that Judgment should lead us to a holy anguish for people.  We can’t dumb down the fact that people who continually reject Jesus are going to hell.  It’s truth, it’s in the Bible, and this should make us react and respond.  It should lead us to this idea of holy anguish for the lost, but many of us seemingly have no feelings at all.  We’ve become inward focused instead of missional.  God is currently using His people, through His Spirit, to accomplish His mission in this world.  We can’t continually reject God’s purposes and plans and think that there are no eternal consequences.  We may be prosperous for a time, but it won’t last forever.  Don’t be a child, lives are at stake.

Make Much of Him!

Rebekah and I are excited for the opportunity to go on a trip this spring to Israel.  I’ve been yearning to go these past 3 years and the time is finally coming.  However, there are some things that I must take care of before going on this trip.  There is a level of preparation that must take place.  Neither of us have good hiking boots or are physically prepared to truck through mountains yet.  We’ll need to purchase some backpacks and spend time in Saugatuck running the stairs (ruthless from what I hear).  More importantely, Rebekah and I want to make sure that our hearts and minds are prepared through prayful preparation.  We’ll more than likely buy a plane ticket within the next couple weeks, but that’s only the beginning.

Jesus’ parable pertaining to the “minas,” or coins, is really a discussion with His disciples about stewardship between the first and second comings.  Jesus congratulates and rewards the person with ten minas by giving him ten cities, and the man with five minas gets five cities.  Then we have this other guy where things get a little dicey/scary for him, and it should for us as well.  This man has been given all the information, direction, and resources he needs to carry out his mission and doesn’t do it.  It’s interesting to see that the main reasons he gives for his laziness is a misunderstanding and fear of his “master.”  This man proved he couldn’t manage his talents and resources correctly, therefore everything he had (one mina) was given to the others who would manage it correctly for the master.

I’m not just going to buy a ticket to Israel and show up at the airport in Tel Aviv having not taken the proper luggage, resources, and my heart and mind in check.  This would be foolish and yet this is how many of us treat this life.  It’s as if glory is a plane ticket and we sit at home night after night just doing whatever we want until that day comes to hop on the plane.  It’s going to be sad when some of us stand before God and He asks us why we didn’t use the resources (talents, skills, gifts, relationships, money) He gave us to further His glory.  It’s going to be sad when I’m walking up Mt. Carmel with thorns in my feet and sunburns all over my body.

We are a people called to prepare and anticipate the fullness of God’s glory.  The 2nd coming of Christ has turned into a dismissed idea in many circles, but it’s time to restore the joy and anticipation for it.  A lot of this goes back to who the story is about.  If we’re truly living out God’s story we will anticipate Christ’s return with a vigor that is unseen in anything else in society.  If we’re not, we’ll be thankful to Christ for setting us up for the future, and we’ll focus on ourselves until then.  “This is what an unbelieving world, simply finds unbelievable.”  Does a vigor for heaven exist inside of you?

Make Much of Him!