bible

Reflection on Esther 7:1-10

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Scripture
So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

Observation
Haman had been plotting against the Jews because of his hatred of one of them, a man named Mordecai.

After much dancing around court proprieties, Queen Esther, herself a Jew, manages to get Haman and the King together for a banquet.

There she reveals Haman’s plot against the Jews. The king, filled with rage, orders Haman hanged, ironically from the gallows that Haman had had built to kill Mordecai.

Application
The book of Esther is about God’s care for His people. He raises one of them, Esther, to a place of unrivalled influence so that she is in a position to protect His people.

God is still caring for His people, from the least to the most powerful. When danger threatens. We can still trust Him to lead us through.

Prayer
Lord God Almighty, you are my rescuer and deliverer. I will put my trust in you alone. Amen.

Reflection on Mark 9:30-37

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Scripture
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Observation
Jesus and His disciples walk through Galilee. Jesus teaches them along the way. He tells them He will be betrayed and killed but will rise in three days. They do not understand this.

In Capernaum Jesus asks the disciples what they were arguing about on the road. They don’t want to tell Him because the argument was about who was the greatest. Jesus tells them that to be first they must be servants of all. He tells them whoever welcomes a little child welcomes both Him and the Father.

Application
Everyone wants to be the greatest, most important, best… The church is not exempt from this. It is called pride or the need for significance.

Our real significance comes not from our own importance but from the fact that Jesus counts us worth dying for. When we really understand in our hearts that our Father loves us so much, then all unhealthy forms of pride just melt away.

We have to see this in the way we treat other people. If you want to meet Jesus and the Father then show hospitality to the least important people- children, people with disabilities, refugees, the uneducated. They are the people who in some way carry the presence of Jesus. When we serve them we serve Jesus.

Prayer
Lord Jesus you came to serve, not to be served. Please help me to have the same ambition. Amen

Reflection on James 3:13-4:8

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Scripture
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you.

Observation
If you claim to be spiritually wise, you must show it in your deeds and in humility. God’s wisdom is not marked by bitterness or envy, but by purity, peace and mercy.

Fights and quarrels in the church are caused by fleshly desires. People covet things they cannot have because these desires are not submitted to God.

We must submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and then draw near to God, humbling ourselves before Him.

Application
Every part of the christian’s life, every desire and ambition must be submitted to God. This means dying to what we want in order to live to Christ.

Many of the problems in church communities arise because people want what they want. They put their own desires first. It might be that someone wants a leadership position held by someone else. It might be a preference for a style of worship.

If we all demand our own way, the love of God is not manifesting itself among us. If we all submit ourselves to God and to one another, the devil will not get a look in.

Prayer
Father, help me to surrender entirely to you and to your plans for me. Amen.

Reflection on Mark 7:24-37

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Scripture
They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful! He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak!”

Observation
A Gentile woman comes to Jesus and begs Him to cast a demon out of her daughter. Jesus tells her that He has been called to Israel and it would be like taking food from children to feed the dogs. But she counters this by saying that even dogs can eat the scraps from the children’s plate.

Jesus is pleased with her faith and He tells her the demon has left the girl.

Jesus then goes to another place where a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment comes to Him. He heals the man immediately to the amazement of the crowds.

Application
There are times when Jesus wants to provoke people to a deeper faith. We want to see Jesus as a kind of vending machine to give us what we need, but He wants to take our relationship with Him deeper.

Sensing a profound faith and a strong spirit in the woman, He presses in with an apparent rebuff to her that merely reveals a deeper faith than was on the surface.

The Lord deals with us each in individual ways according to our needs. He Is no “one size fits all” God.

Prayer
Thank you Lord for your unfailing love. Help me to always trust you. Amen.

Reflection on James 2:1-17

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Scripture
Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Observation
To give attention to the rich at the expense of the poor is a sin. It shows our judgement is guided by evil motives.

To break one of God’s laws makes us as guilty as the person who breaks all of the laws. When we interact with others we must show mercy in order to receive mercy from God.

Faith is not real unless it shows itself in good works. Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness at the point where he prepared to sacrifice his son. His faith was shown in costly obedience to God.

Application
Faith is more than a belief about God. James reminds us that even the demons know about God, but they are not saved.

True faith comes out in the actions of a life transformed by Christ. That is not to say that christians never sin. No, we are on a journey from sin to holiness.

True faith is about trusting in Jesus for all things. It results in a different way of thinking and of living. No more are we motivated by the kind of selfishness that causes us to ignore the poor or that condemns people who are not in our group.

True faith leads us to express love to other people regardless of their social standing, to put others’ needs ahead of our own.

Prayer
Let my faith be shown in a life transformed by your love, Jesus. Amen.

Reflection on James 1:17-27

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Scripture

Do not merely listen to the word of God and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Observation

Every good gift comes from heaven, from the Father who never changes. He is the one who chose to give us birth.

We need to be quick to listen, slow to speak and even slower to anger. We must get rid of all moral filth.

It does no good just to listen to the word- we must obey it as well. Otherwise we are like someone who after looking into a mirror forgets what he looks like.

True religion results in a controlled tongue, care for widows and orphans, and holiness of living.

Application

Faith has to result in a change of life. We don’t need to copy what other believers do, but instead allow God to change us from the inside.

Reading Scripture and watching Bible teachers are good. But we need to let the divine word of God take root in our heart and put it into practice.

It is sad that many christian live lives that are indistinguishable in character from those of their unsaved neighbours. If we let the word of God dwell in us, then everything about us will change.

Prayer

Father, please show me what you want me to change about the way I do life and grant me the grace to change. Convict me of my sin and prompt me to care for the poor and vulnerable people in my neighbourhood. Amen.