Purim

 

No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD 

 ~ Isaiah 54:17 NIV

One of the saddest times in recent history is the Holocaust. Since the beginning of creation, Satan has attacked God's people, thinking he could win. When God provided the first sacrifice, He not only showed Adam and Eve there was forgiveness of sin through the coming of His Son, but He told Satan he would be defeated by His Son. So, all through history, Satan has dreamed up plans to stop the coming of the Messiah Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, Satan thought he had won until Jesus came forth from the grave, alive again forever more. So what is Satan trying to do now? 

Satan knows one day he will find himself eternally in the bottomless pit, not in control but in eternal punishment of hellfire. His last ditch effort is to destroy God's people, the Jews. Psalms tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Peace is not an absence of war. It's not happiness gained with money. No one can have peace without salvation, which gives peace past finding out. In other words, you can't understand the peace God gives without knowing Him in a personal relationship. Scripture says that before the great and terrible day of the Lord, Israel will come to know their Messiah (Zechariah 12). So, we see over and over in history how Satan has tried to destroy the Jews. 

In the 1930's, Julius Streicher began publishing a newspaper, Der Strumer (The Attacker). It was propaganda against the Jews. He also published a children's book, Giftpilz (The Poisonous Mushroom). It, too, was propaganda to turn children against their Jewish schoolmates and neighbors.  He was vehemently anti-Semitic, so much so that after World War II, he was charged with war crimes. He was convicted and sentenced to death. A gallows was built. As he was led to the gallows to be hanged, he said, "Purim 1946". 

Purim was the day the Jews were to be destroyed by Haman. Esther had intervened for God and her people. Now, there is the feast of Purim to celebrate the saving of the Jews from destruction. 

It seems strange that someone who knew the scripture well enough to know he was a modern day Haman would be willing to be used in such a horrific way. In our time, many in government are trying to destroy our faith. They are trying to silence us just as Haman and Streicher tried to do. But as Esther and others stood firm in the face of death, we too must stand firm in proclaiming the gospel, even if it comes to death. Satan cannot prevail against Christ and His Church. 

on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

~Matthew 16:18 ESV

Father, we know you are a good and perfect God. Though we may go through trials and may even face death, You have promised us a place of eternal peace. A place of no more dying, no more tears, and no more pain. Father God, help us look to you for strength in our times of need. May we rejoice in your salvation. In Jesus's name. Amen.


Hey Kids:


Do others make fun of you when you don't go along with their sinful actions?
Are you asked to read books that are against scripture?
These things are happening in many public schools across our country. How can you stand against these things? First and foremost, you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus. 

• There has to be a time and a place where you know you are a sinner, you have done wrong things, like telling a lie, disobeying parents, taking something that doesn't belong to you. 
• There has to be a time and a place where you ask Jesus to forgive you and save you.
• There has to be a change in your life, the way you live and behave that is different than the way you were. It doesn't mean you will never sin again, but it does mean that when you sin, you will feel sorry and ask God's forgiveness so that you stay in the right fellowship with Him. 

God is a powerful helper to those who have come to Him for salvation.  If you've never heard or read the stories of Daniel, Esther, and David, let me encourage you to begin learning about these true heroes/heroines of the Bible. 

 

        Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:

John 11:25a

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

Sometimes, I wander. I wander around our little country neighborhood and try to clear my mind and settle my heart. The other day, I just meant to notice the sights, but then I began to notice the sounds. The blue jay, the guineas, the rooster all had their distinct sound, their voice. I marveled at how uniquely and purposefully God made each one. The blue jay sounded a warning. The guineas ran towards me "grackling" for attention. The rooster was just showing off for the hens, announcing the day.

Then there were the daffodils silently swaying in the breeze brightening a ditch. Even their sunny faces were purposeful, don't you think? 

Dogs yipped, barked, and howled inside the farmhouse fence. Some wanted attention, others thought they were the purposeful guardians of their domain. 

As I walked past the farmyard and came to the hayfields and woods, I noticed a large maple tree, still winter dead, bare except for the mistletoe growing in the top. It wasn't just one mistletoe. There were lots of patches whose roots were going down through the bark into the sapwood, dependent on the tree for food, and life itself.

Once, a tiny mistletoe berry dropped from a plant or a bird into a crevice in the bark. There it sprouted and dug deep to attach itself. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant, depending on a host for its life. 

As I looked at the tree, I thought about how the mistletoe would kill the tree, but the tree seemed to willingly allow the mistletoe to thrive from the tree's own lifeblood, the sap. 

Are we not all sinners responsible for the death of God's Son? But the good news is that when Satan thought he had Jesus killed, buried, and sealed in a tomb, Jesus rose again. We can have eternal life through Jesus Christ if we allow Him to give us the life we cannot attain by ourselves.

In a few weeks, the maple tree will remind me again that Jesus arose. The maple tree will be covered in the green leaves of a resurrected spring. We likely won't be able to see the mistletoe parasite without looking closely.  The tree won't host just one plant but many.  And like Jesus, it will cover all those parasites because the tree is the life that gives life to all the mistletoes who attach themselves to it. 

Tall silent winter dead trees; parasitic mistletoes; in the middle of a field -- an often overlooked reminder of God's purpose in sending His Son -- to give us eternal life.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the beauty of your creation. Thank you for reminding me that you purposefully created everything to point us to Christ. Thank you for the salvation you have given me through the sacrifice of your Son. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Are there flowers blooming in your yard? 

Have you noticed the shapes and the colors?

Do you wonder what purpose God had in creating them? 

I love drawing and painting nature. Perhaps you would like to do a little nature journaling.

Draw something that stands out to you and make a few notes about God's purpose for such wonders in nature. 

Gardening for the Lord

 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

It's time to start tomato seeds here in the Upstate of SC. I've gathered my heirloom seeds, my organic mix, a mini-greenhouse, and little pots. Now for those of you new to starting tomatoes, I place the pots in the mini-greenhouse, add soil that I've sufficiently watered, place a couple of seeds in each pot, and cover with soil on the top, spraying with water to settle in the seeds. 

Now the most important part.