Welcome!
Today: We can do better
Passage: Esther 1(NIV)
15 “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”.
19 “Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws ofPersia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. (Esther 1, NIV)
The maturity and diplomacy of king Xerxes is admirable
Even as queen Vashti had her own party and refused to come to the king’s party, King Xerxes handled the matter in a wise and gentle manner. He did not act in haste or divorce the queen, nor did he punish her as he wanted. Instead, he sought the advice of the council and acted as per their recommendations
The punishment was “light” compared to what the queen had done
Many a time, in the spiritual world, we lack leaders with this kind of maturity and patience. It would be good to learn from the secular world sometimes
Vashti still remained to be queen; however, she lost the royal privileges
Sometimes people ask me this question: “If a person who once had much gifts and talents from God falls into sin or disobeys God, will God immediately take away all the gifts from him/her? Will that person be immediately punished?
God, as a father, is better than you and me. If one of us give our children a gift-say a car or something and if they misuse it, will the father immediately kick that son out and take it away?
In most cases, “no”! The father will try to speak to that son and may discipline him in some way, but what was once given, may not immediately be taken back
When King Saul, the first king ofIsraeldispleased God, God immediately rejected him as king, but Saul apparently continued till the end of his “term” of forty years! The same can be seen today
Some of the “Evangelists” and “ministers” we see today, may be already in a “fallen” situation. If we just go after some “gifts”, we may get “shocks”!
When we get closer to a tree, we will see the fruit. From a distance we only see the leaves. A tree is about the fruit than the leaves
Queen Vashti could have confessed and repented, but she chose not to!
We need change in our lives and we can. We may not be organized in our lives, but we can. We may think we cannot do certain things/study certain things, but we can. It is all about saying “I can”. We can become a much different, better person if we want to. That can change our course and that of our family
May God open our eyes to see what we need to see, and make our lives a blessing and a blessing for others!
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for talking to me through an example from your word, which happened centuries ago, but resembles me very much. Help me change, so that you will open new doors for me and my family. Thank you. Amen
God is not “done” with you; He forgets and forgives the past, and is waiting- for a change in you