A Normal Girl Becomes a Queen

I am a big fan of the book Esther, it is one of my favorite stories in the bible especially because it is about how God uses a woman in a major way. If you think about it, many bible stories are about men and the major things that they do such as Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, Samson, and so on so forth. Very few women have been recognized in the bible for doing major things. Now I am not saying God does not use women, I am sure in that time period God used women in a different way then he does in this day and age. But for a woman to have a book in the Bible about her is a big deal in my eyes.

Today I read Esther 2 and even from that small Chapter you can get the picture of how God is using a female to glorify his name. At this point in the story King Ahasuerus is looking for a new Queen to replace Vashti. (Which is a different story in itself). All the beautiful young virgins are brought to be primped and pampered before the King chooses his new Queen. Esther is one of these young ladies. Esther parents are dead and is being raised by his Uncle Mordecai. Mordecai asks of Esther to not tell her backgrounds, and Esther, who is obedient, does not give up that information at this point in time. Through out the rest of this chapter, Esther finds favor in the eyes of the King and eventually is chosen to be the Queen. One day Mordecai overheard some angry guards plotting to kill the King. Mordecai tells Esther, and then she is able to inform the King about the plot. God is preparing for future events with this happening. 

The rest of the story of Esther is wonderful. She is able to save her family (The Jews) because of her faithfulness to God and her obedience to God. I can not imagine being in her situation. Leaving my family and trying to impress a high up authority. God put her in the right situation, and  made her into what she needed to be to please the King. With each event that happened in the book of Esther, God was able to save his nation. Esther was a girl with no parents, she did not have much, but because of her obedience, God made her into a Queen. 

This story helps to remind me to always keep my faith in God and to always obey Him. God has great plans for my in the future, and He is preparing me for some big events in my life right now. I need to trust in Him because He is planning for my future with where I am now. Sometimes i feel stuck in the same place and I feel like I am just living day to day, but I need to remember that my life has big plans even if it feel like nothing is happening right now. 

-Jaimee

Wisdom from the Father

It is the first of June today, and I slacked a lot after my first post. I let myself become too busy with work and other things. Since it is the first day of June, and I also started the June photo-a-day, maybe I can keep myself on schedule started at the beginning. With a little help from a friend, today I have chosen to read Proverbs 4.

Gain Knowledge and Wisdom and keep them safe, for with them you will illuminate your path.

This Chapter is teaching about Wisdom and how it is precious and valuable. Like a Father teaches his son wisdom, so also does God teach us through his word. Without wisdom, we stumble around in the dark like the wicked men who do not have wisdom. We need to gain as much wisdom as we can for it lights the way we are to go. Verse 14 says "Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men." We are given wisdom so that we know what is right and what is wrong. Wisdom helps us make good smart decisions in our lives, decisions that will keep us from sinning and will help us to follow our Lord each and everyday. How are we to gain more knowledge though if we are not reading the bible and talking with our Lord each and every single day. I think this is where i have fallen short.

I like to think of myself as a woman of God who does the right things, says the right things, and tries to be an example to those around me. But I make bad decisions everyday. I do not pray every day, and I do not read the bible everyday. Without that, I am not gaining the knowledge that I need to keep away from sin. I do not want to be known as foolish and wicked. I want to have my path illuminated with knowledge and wisdom so I can make the right choices and keep away from the emotional effects of the sin in my life.

God gives us the bible for a reason. While he is not here on earth to sit down and teach us, He still gives us a way to spend time with Him and learn from Him. If we were to take 10 minutes out of our day to read what he has to tell us, how much better would our spiritual life be? I know that sometimes i feel myself slipping away and that is when i have to catch myself and ask again for help from the Father. I want to be a person who can say that I am a Christian and I do take time the time to be with my Creator. I do not want to speak words that have no actions. I want to glorify my Father in Heaven because if I look at everything he has given me in my life, from the tiny to the enormous blessings, how can i just sit there and not even take the time to thank him? I want to turn my foot from evil like it says in verse 27. I want to give back to my father when he has given me so much to start out with. Without him, I would have no life and with him i have eternal life. So what better than to gain wisdom from his word each day, and glorify his name.

-Jaimee