Well Done!

My son had his first ever soccer game tonight. I was such a proud mama! Especially because at four years old they can play one of two ways - 1) the pick flower and play in the dirt and run around after the other kids, or 2) they see there's a ball and try to kick it...anywhere.  He was actually that second one! I was so happy that he was trying his hardest to get that ball, to listen to his coach and to be where he should be, all with a huge smile. But at the end of the game he said to me, "I'm sorry I didn't score a goal for you, Mom." Oh, no! I told him, "You do not have to score the goals to play well. You did an amazing job tonight and I am so proud of you."

This situation did reruns through my head last night until I finally realized what it was. This was a reenactment of God and his children. You've read the passages of running the race to get the crown, never giving up. Those are great! But often times that leaves me feeling a little "less than." I see the "kids" who go to the mission field and break through to Christians who have been in darkness millenia. I see the "kids" who become nationally known authors, singers, and preachers, reaching millions of people. I see the "kids" who foster households of children. I see the "kids" who travel the world building organizations to combat hunger and poverty. Then I see me and I say, "I am sorry that I didn't score those goals for you, Father." But last night, I hear His response to me, out of my own mouth!

God does not care if you make those "awesome" accomplishments. That may not be the position he has for you. The soccer team consists of more than just the forwards that score; there are middies, and defense, and goalies! Oh, boy, I bet the goalies of our spiritual lives often feel totally useless!! God wants the whole team and he wants you to play your position with dignity and heart. What you do matters, whether big or small or noticed or not. It matters greatly to the outcome of the "game." So feel great today, friend! Because your heavenly Father is proud of you.

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ --Matthew 25:21

Kings of the Past Part 3: We Are There

We are finally on our last king before we reach the book of Esther! I am glad that you have stuck with me this far! As we saw in yesterday's lesson, King Darius has ascended the throne, most likely through treachery. Once again, what you read here is my interpretation and not necessarily factual (though I hope I have gotten it right!)

King Darius is found in many places throughout the Bible. He is found in the books of Ezra (4:5; 5:13-6:3), Haggai, and Zechariah (note: he is not the same Darius as found in Daniel, which was a viceroy for king Cyrus, as we discussed in Part 1). There are many interesting events that take place in the reign of Darius, but keep in mind, as we have been working our way to Esther, that this is the father of Esther's husband, Xerxes (Ahaseurus). This is where he grew up and the palace and lifestyle that Esther steps into is formed.

The Royal Family
Darius I was married to a common woman and had several sons. He was the shield bearer to King Cambyses. After assuming the throne, he realized that he was not of royal lineage and wanted to prevent his people from questioning his right to be king. Therefore, Darius married many women of nobility from surrounding kingdoms in order to form alliances with their families. Most notable of these was the daughter of Cyrus himself (the sister of Cambyses), Atossa. {Interesting side fact: Atossa is thought to have had breast cancer. Historians recorded a tumor on her breast that got worse and worse until the royal physician convinced her to have it removed.} When it came time to declare an heir to the throne, Atossa insisted that it be her son Xerxes, not Darius' oldest son from the common woman. It is thought that, as the daughter of King Cyrus (of his favorite wife), that she had learned to read and write. Some historians note that she was the first queen given the title of Lady and that she even advised Darius on matters of war. She must have been a notable woman indeed.

Crowning Achievements
Darius had many conquests and achievements, but those that matter to us are this:
Darius built the palace in Susa (you know, where the great banquet takes place in Esther 1; where Esther lives after she becomes queen?).
Darius gave support to the Jews that had returned to Jerusalem and the temple was completed in the 6th year of his reign.

What is interesting about the life of Darius, is that he was constantly seeking to prove himself. He felt that he did not deserve to be where he was. We are too often that way as well. We constantly seek to prove ourselves because we don't feel we deserve the grace and blessings that have been poured out on us. As we finish up this timeline leading up to the story of Esther, I want you to remember that we are all a part of God's story. We all have a roll to play, whether we are deserving of our position or not is of no consequence. We must do our best to trust in God and follow him instead of trying to prove ourselves by our own power.

Kings of the Past Part 2: Cover Up

So last time we left off with the fall of Babylon to King Cyrus. Here's to sum up the next few events rather quickly. I found some rather interesting side stories here! But please, please realize this is my interpretation of various sources I have read and I am not a historian.

After Cyrus the Great kicks the bucket, his son Cambyses II rises to the throne. Cambyses continued much of his fathers conquests. There are many legends that surround Cambyses' death and other parts of his life, including the famed Lost Army of 50,000 men in the Egyptian desert. Cambyses at one point had his army fight against his brother, who sought his throne, but then claimed that it was an impostor posing as his brother. Not long later Cambyses died of an infection in a wound he had sustained in battle. It is commonly believed that Cambyses, and possibly his brother, were both murdered by Darius I, who at the time served as his shield bearer and wrote the account of both of their deaths.  Darius, therefore, assumed the throne.

This was a big ancient cover up! We see these things happening everyday, right? In reality, it is the response of our human nature. What did Adam and Eve do as soon as they realized they had screwed up and their eyes were open to their nakedness (Gen. 3)? They covered up. Then they placed blame. What do we do when we fail? We try to cover it up. What do we do when we feel that we are unworthy, or unbeautiful? We cover it up. If we are honest with ourselves, we spend a good majority of our lives covering up who we really are. This is not what God wants of us of course. His plan is for Him to cleanse and exalt us. Only one cover up is necessary - the blood of Christ.

"Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." --James 4:10 (NASB)

Kings of the Past Part 1: Every End is a New Beginning

Do you ever have a question for so long that you finally decide to dive in and discover your answers? I sure do! My latest quest is taking me deep into the history of the ancient Persian empire. No, history is not my cup of tea, but good stories are and that is what has led me here!

Why on earth would I want to study about ancient Persian kings? That is a question I keep asking myself! One of my favorite books of the Bible is the book of Esther. What is so frustrating to me about it, however, is that it is just stuck in the Bible with no real historical context given. Many of the names found are similar names to those found in Ezra and Daniel. What is difficult, however, is that many of these names are repeated in the royal lineage, so there are seven kings known as Xerxes/Artaxerxes and four individuals known as Darius and that makes things confusing! What it does tell us, however, is that the events found in Daniel, those found in Chronicles and Ezra, and the story of Esther all took place close to the same period in time. So my question has been, for a very long time, how do these stories flow into one another? I have finally decided to find out, if possible. This may be somewhat of a lengthy journey, but I will share all that I can with you!

I decided, the best place to begin is the beginning. So here is my best attempt to compile what I have read into a story that makes sense. Please remember that this is completely my own understanding of what the historical studies show and I am in no way a historian. This story twists and turns, so hang on for the ride!

The Israelites in Babylon and Old King Neb
Ok, so we all know that when Israel fell it was to the Babylonians under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar II. Much is found about Old King Neb in the Bible, most of which we find in the book of Daniel. When King Neb destroyed Israel, he did not do so entirely and he took the noble young men with him back to Babylon with him in order to train them up the Babylonian way and make good Babylon-serving leaders out of them. Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were along on this ride and we find out about their experiences during this time frame in Daniel chapters 1-3. King Nebuchadnezzar married Amytis, daughter of Cyaxares the Great, king of the Medes. History tells us that she was so homesick that King Neb built her the great Hanging Gardens of Babylon to remind her of home. King Neb was also married to the great Queen Nitocris who continued his building projects and kingdom improvements for years during King Neb's insanity (Daniel 4) and even after his death. It is thought that Nitocris was the grandmother "Queen Mother" of Belshazzar that refers the prince to Daniel during the banquet in Daniel chapter 5.

Babylon No More
There is a lot of history pertaining to the fall of Babylon, and even many prophetic scriptures warning of this occurrence in the Bible. For our purposes we need to know that King Neb was succeeded by his son Nebonidus who was the father of Belshazzar in Daniel 5. Nebonidus was the last Babylonian king. When Babylon fell, Nebonidus was on a conquest in Arabia, so his son was left in charge, just as we see in the biblical account. The Medo-Persians, under Cyrus the Great, were now in control. Daniel 5:31 states "So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of 62." This Darius the Mede is most likely the individual in historical accounts known as Cyaxares II who served for 2 years as the viceroy of Cyrus in Babylon. One of Cyrus' immediate acts to prove his authority and secure his reign in Babylon was to release all of the forced exiles to return to their homeland. This event is found in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1-8; 5:13-17 and is a clear fulfillment of the prophesy in Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1. Cyrus, called by name, was an instrument in God's overall plan for His people.

Now, if your head is swimming with facts like mine is at the moment, then I am happy to tell you that I am finished for today! I find it always helpful to place stories in context, so now that we have a beginning to our story!

Praying Through Our Choices

Every day we are faced with choices, large or small. Our choices lead us down the path of our life and take us in a direction. All of our choices, big and small, form our future. And whether we like it or not, our choices affect more than just our own lives. They affect the lives of those around us, our children, our friends and family, our employees or employers, whether in a positive way or a negative way. Many people often question why bad things happen. In my experience, bad things typically happen because of someone's poor choices.

So how can we avoid this? How can we live our lives as a blessing to others? Well, we can start by praying through our choices. We should always take time to pray about the choices we make, big and small, before deciding them. We should seek God's will in everything we do. Sometimes, for a smaller decision, we feel silly praying about it. But small decisions eventually become large ones. Pray for your choices of what you watch, read, how you spend your time. Pray for your financial choices. Pray for what you are going to buy. Pray before buying a vehicle or a home or other large purchase. Pray before confronting someone on a serious issue. Pray before voting. Pray before EVERY choice you make! You will find that you become more confident in your choices and make less "rash" decisions by doing so!

So today, as I am learning to weave prayer deeper into my life, let us focus on praying through our decisions.

"A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel." --Proverbs 1:5

Winning the Gold

Today's prayer topic is perfect for the Olympics going on right now! Our focus today is on obedience. Have you had a chance to watch any of the Olympics? I have been watching as much as I can and it is astounding! What those athletes can do with their bodies is phenomenal. Here's the question, though. Did any of those individuals get to that point just because they knew the rules of that sport, or because they had read a lot about it? Did they get there because they decided they wanted to be an Olympian and signed up? Obviously, the answer to both questions is no. Every one of those athletes, when interviewed after their achievements, will claim that the only reason they made it that far was from hard work. They trained, day after day. They pushed themselves as far as they could push. They were never content with where they were but wanted to be better, stronger.

borrowed from www.guardian.co.uk

As Christians, we should be spiritual Olympians. We should never be content. We need to train daily and push ourselves to the limit. Here is what Paul says to us in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Does that describe you? Do you want to win that gold? If not, then that is what today is about. This discipline comes from a constant obedience to God's desires for you. We begin by having time spent in his word. We cannot be obedient if we do not know what he is asking of us. There is a level of calling, however, that God places on each of our individual lives. That is only determined by seeking God's will through prayer.

As you take time to pray today, ask God to show you what it is that he desires of you. Ask him to reveal any place in your life where you are not being obedient. Ask him if you are where he desires you to be (work, church, relationships) or if he would like you to step out into something new.

"Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules." --2 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)

The Cleansing Power of Prayer

The other day I had to explain to my daughter the definition of repentance. That concept is a bit hard for a six year old to understand. The problem we were having was that she would do something mean to her brother, say sorry, then do it over again. She thought it was ok, because she said sorry. Thus, the repentance conversation.

What is repentance? Repentance is just turning from your sin. When you confess it, you are recognizing that the sin is there, that you've messed up. But when you repent, you turn away from that action and try to not do it any more.

Today's prayer focus is on Confession and Repentance. During our prayer times we must allow God to cleanse us. We must open up our hearts to allow him to show us what is wrong in there. Then we must confess those things - admit it. Then turn away.

For some, this may be a hard thing to do. It may make us feel awful to admit what is truly inside! But that is the point - as long as we leave it hiding there, it is like an unclean wound that just festers and grows! If we face the pain and shame, then the healing process can begin. Remember the study from yesterday - knowing the names of God? Today we call upon God our Judge and our Healer.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." --1 John 1:9

Take time today in prayer to confess, repent, and heal.