Passage for Study: 1st Samuel 10 – 11 … 1st Sam. 10 – 11 linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Well, … the Hebrew people got what they wanted, … a regal and proud warrior, a physically good looking man, and a charismatic leader. And they ushered him in as their king, giving over to him the allegiance and worship which had been due to God Himself. It seemed as if this was the crowning glory of Israel. It seemed that this man, Saul, was the one to bring Israel together and result in the change and glory that they had once had when Moses led them out of Egypt and Joshua consolidated the Hebrew nations, taking them into the Promised Land.
In 1st Samuel 10 – 11, it would seem that Israel had ushered in the glory days; but from God’s perspective, this was one of Israel’s saddest seasons. And as we know when we read ahead in God’s word, we can read of how God, Who had allowed His Spirit to be on Saul for a season in giving the people a king and the kind of king they desired, would retract His Spirit, and allow Saul’s sin nature to come to the surface, which led to chaos, confusion, and consuming degradation. Because of Saul’s impatience, rebellion, jealousy, and all-consuming pride, Saul, as Swindoll points out, “… shriveled into a twisted, maniacal, pathetic figure. … No one (in those days) could see it; … but slowly and ever so surely [evil] polluted the waters of [Saul’s] mind and soiled his soul.”
As Swindoll closes his devotional entry for today, he speculates on what the prime qualities of leadership are which you’d look for if you were trying to elevate someone to become the CEO of your company; and the prime one he pointed to was MODESTY, which I believe evolves out of a combination HUMILITY and MEEKNESS. These qualities in a leader are the only character adjectives Jesus ever used (in the NT) to describe Himself (see Matthew 11: 29 in the AMP version); and so, our God incarnate, has given us, by self proclamation and example, the prime qualities we should look for when vote for our leaders. And one must ask himself/herself, “Have we done so these days, when, in looking for change, we voted for a President who promised he would bring change to our land. He’s physically good looking; and he’s charismatic. He seems to promise that America can lead the world into a new realm of glory.
However, do we now have that leader, one who has the modesty, humility, and meekness which are Christlike and will be able to bring us the protection and leadership which brought America into prominence in the past? Or have we elected a pride-driven leader who is consumed with power and will not allow God’s Spirit to lead him to follow the only source of power Who can bring our land back to the grace we once knew which glorified God and God alone? I’ll let you speculate and answer that question for yourself.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, forgive us for where we have taken this land. And I implore Your mercy in this season of change, which, if we continue on this course, will bring Your wrath of separation from us. I know You, by your promises of Deut. 31: 6 and Hebrews 13: 5, won’t abandon Your remnant, Lord; so we pray patiently, as You’ve instructed in 2nd Chron. 7: 14, for Your healing to come to our land. Amen
Showing posts with label modesty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label modesty. Show all posts
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
2009 – Day 188.July 8 – Modesty and Authenticity
2009 – Day 188.July 8 – Modesty and Authenticity
Passage of the Day: Esther 2: 12 – 14; … 20 … 12 Before a girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. 13 And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. 14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. … 20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.
My Journal for Today: Well, in today’s story segment about our heroine, Esther, our devotional shepherd, Chuck Swindoll emphasizes two character traits which Esther exhibited which are models of our own desire to be more like our Lord.
First, Esther was modest [or meekness]. Here she was being pampered and prepared for the King, somehow chosen from thousands of women in the Persian kingdom to go before King Xerxes and see if she had the “stuff of a queen.” And the pampering of the candidates went on for a full year. Yet in the end when Esther was paraded before the King, she had a different attitude than the other candidates. The latter candidates wanted desperately to win; but Esther remained true to her self and to her heritage and she exhibited the power under control which is modesty or meekness.
She had been raised by Mordecai to be a daughter of the covenant and to quietly trust in the only God to whom she would serve. Yes, she honored the wishes and requests of the earthly king; but her primary modesty came from a quiet confidence in the covenant of God. And though, at Mordecai’s instruction, she didn’t tout it, Esther had been raised to be a daughter of THE KING of kings; and she would remain true to that in spite of all the temptations of worldly externals.
Secondly, Esther was the real-deal, … authentic to the core of her being; and therefore exuding humility. She knew her God would watch over her; and she was the only candidate for the role of Queen who didn’t aspire to be queen. She was already, in her own mind, a child of the real KING. And it was that confidence and authenticity which is likely the very quality, implanted into Esther by God, to which King Xerxes responded and ultimately selected her to be his Queen.
In this little study I see two Christlike qualities on display in Esther. First was her modesty (which could also be described as meekness: i.e., power under control); and the second was authenticity (which could also be described as the self-confidence which comes from true humility). And I’ve learned from past study and experience that these qualities are the only two attitude qualities Christ ever used to describe Himself.
Check it out in Matt. 11: 29 - linked in context here, when Jesus was instructing His followers to come to Him when they were burdened. He said, [and I paraphrase], “I am humble and meek.” And this, my dear one is the picture presented by Esther as she was to be paraded before the King of Persia.
So, the question arises by this study, “Am I modest and authentic?” Or the parallel question as to my Christlikeness would be, “Am I meek and humble?” I will have to answer to that, being in accountability before God; and likewise you will have to answer those questions if, you, as a Christian, aspire to be like Christ. God’s word commands us to have an attitude like Christ (see Phil. 2: 5 - linked); and I must say that I’ve got some growing to do to be like our young heroine, Esther, or most certainly to be like my Lord, and Savior, Jesus.
My Prayer for Today: Help me grow, Lord, to be like Esther and to ultimately be like You. Amen
Passage of the Day: Esther 2: 12 – 14; … 20 … 12 Before a girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. 13 And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. 14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. … 20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.
My Journal for Today: Well, in today’s story segment about our heroine, Esther, our devotional shepherd, Chuck Swindoll emphasizes two character traits which Esther exhibited which are models of our own desire to be more like our Lord.
First, Esther was modest [or meekness]. Here she was being pampered and prepared for the King, somehow chosen from thousands of women in the Persian kingdom to go before King Xerxes and see if she had the “stuff of a queen.” And the pampering of the candidates went on for a full year. Yet in the end when Esther was paraded before the King, she had a different attitude than the other candidates. The latter candidates wanted desperately to win; but Esther remained true to her self and to her heritage and she exhibited the power under control which is modesty or meekness.
She had been raised by Mordecai to be a daughter of the covenant and to quietly trust in the only God to whom she would serve. Yes, she honored the wishes and requests of the earthly king; but her primary modesty came from a quiet confidence in the covenant of God. And though, at Mordecai’s instruction, she didn’t tout it, Esther had been raised to be a daughter of THE KING of kings; and she would remain true to that in spite of all the temptations of worldly externals.
Secondly, Esther was the real-deal, … authentic to the core of her being; and therefore exuding humility. She knew her God would watch over her; and she was the only candidate for the role of Queen who didn’t aspire to be queen. She was already, in her own mind, a child of the real KING. And it was that confidence and authenticity which is likely the very quality, implanted into Esther by God, to which King Xerxes responded and ultimately selected her to be his Queen.
In this little study I see two Christlike qualities on display in Esther. First was her modesty (which could also be described as meekness: i.e., power under control); and the second was authenticity (which could also be described as the self-confidence which comes from true humility). And I’ve learned from past study and experience that these qualities are the only two attitude qualities Christ ever used to describe Himself.
Check it out in Matt. 11: 29 - linked in context here, when Jesus was instructing His followers to come to Him when they were burdened. He said, [and I paraphrase], “I am humble and meek.” And this, my dear one is the picture presented by Esther as she was to be paraded before the King of Persia.
So, the question arises by this study, “Am I modest and authentic?” Or the parallel question as to my Christlikeness would be, “Am I meek and humble?” I will have to answer to that, being in accountability before God; and likewise you will have to answer those questions if, you, as a Christian, aspire to be like Christ. God’s word commands us to have an attitude like Christ (see Phil. 2: 5 - linked); and I must say that I’ve got some growing to do to be like our young heroine, Esther, or most certainly to be like my Lord, and Savior, Jesus.
My Prayer for Today: Help me grow, Lord, to be like Esther and to ultimately be like You. Amen
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