Monthly Archives: March 2023

The Poetic, on Purim…

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“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24

At this time of Purim, the story of Esther’s role of courage is retold…

As Queen during the reign of Xerxes, she was called upon to be bold.

King Xerxes’ right-hand man, Haman, was plotting to kill the Jews…

Esther was, herself, a Jew, and realized there was no time to lose.

Her cousin, Mordecai, felt strongly that her position as the Queen

was providential for the Jews.  On Queen Esther, their destiny would lean.

Mordecai emphasized that she needed to be brave on behalf of them all.

Though not summoned by the King–on him, she would need to call.

Because it was so disastrous to go before the King without him asking,

she told Mordecai to have all of the Jews join her in a time of fasting.

If one entered the king’s court without being summoned, death was established law.

“If I perish, I perish” she said.  Yet in her act of coming before him, the King found no flaw.

He extended his gold scepter to her, even promising up to half the kingdom on that day.

She proposed a banquet for him and Haman to attend, where she would have her say.

Ultimately, at the banquet she held, Esther told the King of the evil plans being made…

against her, a Jew, and all of her people, which had caused her and them to be afraid.

King Xerxes asked her, then, who could be so wicked as to devise such a plan–

At that point, she revealed to the King that the wicked Haman was the guilty man.

…the King had Haman, instead, put to death. Through Esther, God’s people were spared. The greater details are in the book of Esther.

Thus, the Jewish tradition of Purim, a joyous feast on the fourteenth of the month of Adar (Hebrew calendar) happens every year, and is still held today. (Chapter 9 tells of the Jews overcoming their tormentors and the establishment of Purim (remembrance) by Queen Esther and by Mordecai, who became prominent in the King’s palace, having, at one time, saved the King from an assassination attempt.)

King Xerxes in the NIV, NLT, GW (named Ahasuerus in other texts)

The account brings to mind, of course, thoughts and scriptures on courage, but also of God’s preservation of the Jews, from whom He brought to us Jesus, our Savior.

P. A. Oltrogge

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4 NLT

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:10

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“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham….” Matthew 1:1

“Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'” Luke 1:30-33

Addressing the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, Jesus said, “You (Gentiles) worship what you do not know; we (Jews) know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22

“For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah….” Hebrews 7:14

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

God is our Stronghold

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“Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 RSV

Just because something set you back in the past,
doesn’t have to mean that that “stronghold” will last.

For God has a strong hold on His sons and daughters,
to bring them safely through in crossing deep waters.

As you resist the devil and his every concocted doubt…
that evil attack from him must then be on its way out.

Peter left the boat to meet Jesus and walked upon the sea…
but fear from a blast of the wind caused Peter’s faith to flee.

He cried out, beginning to sink–then felt the immediate pull
of the Lord’s victorious hand on him for a recovery that was full.

Keep a strong hold on what Jesus, our Lord, has said…
Replace the devil’s thoughts of fear with faith in God, instead.

Proclaim, “I receive it!” the moment you’ve prayed.
Then rest in His peace as your mind on Christ is stayed.

Say unto this mountain, and it will be removed….
especially say the Word–God’s Truth that has been proved!

P. A. Oltrogge

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ….” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

“But He (Jesus) answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…
For I am the !ord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior….”
Isaiah 43:2, 3

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:22-24

“As for God, His way is perfect; The Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  1 John 4:4

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints….” Ephesians 6:14-18

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 NASB

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“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

“Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear.

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’

“And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’

“So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’

“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

“Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.'” Matthew 14:22-33

(This occurred after the disciples had just seen Jesus feed a multitude of people from having blessed just five loaves and two fish.) verse 21: “Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

Our Lord is mighty to save!

Encouraging resource: http://www.faithschool.org

Scriptures: NKJV or as noted

…photo/Unsplash

The “Super” Natural Power of God

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by J. Vetter,
Guest Contributor

“Oh, Lord, take your super glue and glue my bone together.” This was one of my first prayers after fracturing a bone in my foot. At the time, I did think it was sort of a silly prayer until I read the paperwork from my emergency room visit. It stated, “When a bone heals, the body puts a CALLUS together across the piece that is broken. This callus is made of new bone material and will eventually melt or glue the two broken pieces together.” What a sweet reassurance that the Lord was indeed with me in my pain, even in the formulation of my seemingly strange prayer.

Being forced to reduce my activities gave me time to reflect on the word, “broken,” and the pain involved. I realized my foot would eventually heal and the pain would then be just a memory, or maybe even forgotten. However, there are many people living with various degrees of brokenness–a broken relationship, broken health, or even being brokenhearted–all of which can be covered by God’s supernatural ability to heal.

My natural belief is that a bone progressively heals. My belief, as a Christian, is that God adds His “super” to the natural, and things that are impossible or difficult have a greater ability to heal when faith is released.

In the Bible narrative of the beggar man, who was lame from his mother’s womb, he was told, “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” The story relates that immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength, and he began to walk and leap. This is the “super” element added to that poor man’s body. He was carried along and set down daily at the gate of the temple, so this man required assistance to even get there. His muscles hadn’t been exercised. This was not a progressive healing–it was a miracle. And it was brought about by two of Jesus’ disciples who were bold enough to believe that God could raise the man up. How many of us have seen this today? How many of us even believe it could happen?

I couldn’t help but compare the word, “callus,” (used for good–to bring healing to my bone) with the word, “callous,” which means hardened in mind, or unfeeling. My journey toward healing included much soul searching as to what I expected from my faith. It’s easy not to have very high expectations. Then there is no disappointment in God. However, the struggle to boost my faith to believe in God’s supernatural ability came with a sinister, mocking voice, “Has God really said?”

A few months before fracturing the bone in my foot, I had been running across the street with my schnauzer on his leash at night and tripped over the curb and landed flat on my face. It was a miracle I didn’t break much more, but I did find out I had broken a bone in my wrist. However, before I knew it was broken, I believed for healing; and by the time it was x-rayed, the family doctor said it looked like an old break. Then suddenly the pain went away, and I never followed up with the orthopedic doctor. So later, as I struggled with the pain in my foot, how easy it was to forget this previous incident of my God’s goodness and power.

Perhaps, it is like the disciples. Having seen the miracle of Jesus breaking the five loaves of bread to feed 5,000 people, they were still upset because they had forgotten to take bread and only had one loaf with them. Jesus spoke some heartbreaking words to them. He said, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? And do you not remember?” We can end up with a calloused heart when we stop believing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can be fresh from a miracle and still not perceive that our God can do it again!

J. Vetter

Acts 3:1-8 and
Mark 8:13-21

Cares and a Crown

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The very hairs of your head are numbered–
Jesus shared that thought so we wouldn’t be encumbered
with worries and cares that should be laid at His feet,
for God knows the best way to make all lives complete.
He satisfies the desire of all living things
by opening His hand, and with it He brings
bountiful blessings beyond what’s desired,
for He loves to give even more than the required.
To avoid any pitfalls, you need to become sharpened
by going to God’s Word daily, therein to hearken.
And don’t think, in any instance, His direction will cease–
just go by what lines up with His Word and gives peace.
For Jesus is the Good Shepherd; He won’t let you down.
He has much for you here and then, one day, a crown.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

“Thou dost open Thy hand, and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Psalm 145:16 KJV

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” …words of the Lord Jesus in John 10:27-28

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:11-12

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

“…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.’ Revelation 2:10

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” words of the Lord from Matthew 6

…below, one of God’s beautifully-crowned flowers….

It’s Grand to Give

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…an account on the blessing of the Lord through giving…

According to the word of the Lord, the prophet, Elijah, journeyed to a brook, which was called Cherith, east of the Jordan–and from its waters he took.

God told him to look to the ravens, for His provision of meat and bread. Both in the morning and in the evening, Elijah was thereby fed.

But there was no rain in the land, for Elijah had prayed for its delaying–to prove that his was the true God, not Baal, as King Ahab was saying.

The waters of the brook didn’t last then, so he needed again to move. God told him to go to Zarephath, where His provision again He would prove.

Elijah saw there a woman gathering sticks, a widow, as God had said. He called to her, asking for water. Then, he also asked her for bread.

She replied she had only a little flour in a bowl and a little oil in a jar. The sticks were for a fire to cook a bread cake, which wouldn’t go very far.

She had thought she and her son would eat it and then prepare to die. To her surprise, Elijah said that was the reason that God had sent him by.

He told her God wanted to provide for her, and her flour and oil wouldn’t fail. Sharing with him first, as a prophet of God, was all that it would entail.

So she did as Elijah had told her, serving the food first to him and then her son. She believed and trusted in God, that their lives weren’t over and done.

Day followed day and they always had meals–her supply was not diminished. It’s a Biblical lesson of security through faith–we’re blessed before God is finished.

During Jesus’ ministry, a little boy’s lunch, of fishes and loaves that seemed few, became more than enough when blessed by Him; and He blesses giving the same today, too.

P. A. Oltrogge

(from 1 Kings 17)

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want….” Psalm 23:1

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 NKJV

“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” Luke 11:42 NKJV …and Matthew 23:23

“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” Proverbs 11:25

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

(All scriptures NASB, or as noted)

Power of the Tithe, by Bill Winston, under “Store” at http://www.billwinston.org

God Owns My Business, by Stanley Tam, at http://www.christianbook.com

Tithing Today, by Keith Moore at http://www.moorelife.org

Lord,
Make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred–let me sow love,
where there is injury–pardon,
where there is doubt–faith,
where there is despair–hope,
where there is darkness–light,
and where there is sadness–joy.

Divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive–
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi