2009 – Day 187.July 7 – Servant-Hearted Leaders
Passage of the Day: Esther 2: 10 – 20 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll points out what a model of quiet, strong femininity our biblical heroine, Esther, is for women who claim The Lord as Savior. Here she found great favor to the Eunuchs who were in charge of overseeing her development in the court of the King; and when she came before the King in her time, Esther found great favor with him. And yet, as Swindoll points out, she never lost her teachable spirit as well as her loyalty to her uncle, Mordecai [see verses 10, 20 in Esther 2].
And what does one usually find when someone with great physical prowess or beauty is singled out? Perhaps you are beautifully endowed or very intelligent or extremely talented and you’ve always been highlighted for your giftedness or external qualities. Maybe you won beauty titles; or you were the valedictorian of your class; or you became a star in the school plays; or you were able to court favor in politics. If any of these were the case, what do we usually see happen to such people?
Well, I think we all know the answer to that. Generally, when people are lauded for their external beauty or talent or prowess in some field of endeavor, that one takes on the “American Idol” syndrome, … letting pride consume the character of the favored one. But that was not Esther. No, our heroine beauty remained the humble servant girl with leadership and strength shining through her every choice and action. Our covert Jewish beauty remained true to Mordecai and true to her humble, teachable character no matter how many accolades came her way.
Esther learned from her uncle. She learned from the Eunuchs. And she apparently learned from the other women in the court. And above all, she learned from her God. So, when it came to her being thrust into the limelight of success, she was one who wanted to learn even more and not to think she had all the answers. >>> I hope we can all learn from this teachable spirit; and we need to internalize the lessons which Esther seemed to have as part of her character; >>> and that is the lesson of Prov. 3: 34, which is repeated in James 4: 6 or 1st Peter 5: 6 … that God can only pour His grace into the humble and not into the proud. That was Esther through and through.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be humble like Esther. Amen
Showing posts with label teachable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teachable. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
2009 – Day 114.Apr. 25 – A Teachable Spirit
2009 – Day 114.Apr. 25 – A Teachable Spirit
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 18: 5 - 16 … Linked for study to passage …
My Journal for Today: Today’s passage and Swindoll’s devotional presents an interesting and pertinent character study into another interaction and comparison between Saul, the king, and David, the king-to-be. And the focus verse for this study is found in verse 14 of 1st Sam. 18, which in the NKJV says, And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him.
You’ll note that I underlined the phrase “behaved wisely,” which has differing translations in our scholarly Bibles. It is the Hebrew word “sakai,” which is one of those Hebrew expressions which can take on different colors depending on the circumstances. And the focus of this study is on this Hebrew term, which was attributed to David.
In the NASB, the sentence from 1st Sam. 18: 14 reads thusly, David was prospering in all his way, for the LORD was with him. In the NIV, it reads, In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. If you read down through 1st Samuel 18 you see that term “sakai” is used four separate times to describe David’s persistent wisdom and/or his spiritual success, given the task of leading Saul’s armies into battle. And we also read the reaction it provoked from Saul, which was rage and jealousy, even to the point of throwing a spear at David in attempted murder.
But David’s character through all of this, even being attacked by Saul, remained quietly teachable and remarkably loyal to his king. David was consistently and persistently “sakai” because he had the Lord’s Spirit upon him. And Swindoll points to a study of the word “sakai” in Proverbs (see Prov. 10: 19 and Prov. 21: 11) that one who exhibits “sakai” is one who generally keeps his mouth shut and one who intentionally grows in “teachability.”
David was still young; but he was learning what to be and what not to be as king from observing Saul; and God was giving David the enabling grace to learn and grow in this quiet, but powerful, quality of teachability. I truly hope that I never lose my drive to be what the Hebrews call “sakai” before my God. And I see, from today’s study, just how much God wants me grow into Christlikeness, Who, of course, was our super model of “sakai,” the One who grew and became the likeness of His Heavenly Father, Jehovah, on earth.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be teachable and to grow to be “sakai” in Your presence. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 18: 5 - 16 … Linked for study to passage …
My Journal for Today: Today’s passage and Swindoll’s devotional presents an interesting and pertinent character study into another interaction and comparison between Saul, the king, and David, the king-to-be. And the focus verse for this study is found in verse 14 of 1st Sam. 18, which in the NKJV says, And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him.
You’ll note that I underlined the phrase “behaved wisely,” which has differing translations in our scholarly Bibles. It is the Hebrew word “sakai,” which is one of those Hebrew expressions which can take on different colors depending on the circumstances. And the focus of this study is on this Hebrew term, which was attributed to David.
In the NASB, the sentence from 1st Sam. 18: 14 reads thusly, David was prospering in all his way, for the LORD was with him. In the NIV, it reads, In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. If you read down through 1st Samuel 18 you see that term “sakai” is used four separate times to describe David’s persistent wisdom and/or his spiritual success, given the task of leading Saul’s armies into battle. And we also read the reaction it provoked from Saul, which was rage and jealousy, even to the point of throwing a spear at David in attempted murder.
But David’s character through all of this, even being attacked by Saul, remained quietly teachable and remarkably loyal to his king. David was consistently and persistently “sakai” because he had the Lord’s Spirit upon him. And Swindoll points to a study of the word “sakai” in Proverbs (see Prov. 10: 19 and Prov. 21: 11) that one who exhibits “sakai” is one who generally keeps his mouth shut and one who intentionally grows in “teachability.”
David was still young; but he was learning what to be and what not to be as king from observing Saul; and God was giving David the enabling grace to learn and grow in this quiet, but powerful, quality of teachability. I truly hope that I never lose my drive to be what the Hebrews call “sakai” before my God. And I see, from today’s study, just how much God wants me grow into Christlikeness, Who, of course, was our super model of “sakai,” the One who grew and became the likeness of His Heavenly Father, Jehovah, on earth.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be teachable and to grow to be “sakai” in Your presence. Amen
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