Month: December 2018

December 29, Reading 1 – Esther 5, 6

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

God’s providence brings rescue from destruction from an unlikely source – a seeming chance reading by the King. This is the pattern of Christmas.

SJA Notes

* Holy God, You as Father sent Yourself as Son, and in the Jordan with John sent You the Spirit to descend like a dove and rest upon Jesus, telling us that in Him You are well pleased. We praise You three-fold God – Father, Son and Spirit!

“On the night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.”

Here we see the reversal of political fame and fortune come about through a king not being able to sleep – See the Lord’s hand at work here!

King Ahasuerus discovered that Mordecai had never been honored for revealing the plot of the two eunuchs for harm to the king.

So the king ordered Mordecai honored. By an enemy, Haman the Agagite.

Agag was the Amalekite king that Saul (the Israelite king, from the tribe of Benjamin as was Mordecai) was commanded by the Lord to kill.

Saul disobeyed God and kept Agag alive, until Samuel the prophet killed Agag with the sword.

Both Haman and Mordecai were a product of long-standing grudges. More than five hundred years have passed and still there was great animosity between God’s people and the Amalekites.

And because of sleeplessness the tables were turned.

This is God at work.

* Father God,

Thank You for taking care of us, often in ways we don’t see or understand.

Thank You for Your grace – Giving to us blessing that we do not deserve.

Thank You for Your mercy – Not giving to us the curse that we absolutely deserve.

Please fix our eyes on You today Lord God. Please show us what you would have us know from Your word.

Amen.

December 29, Reading 2 – Malachi 1:1-2:9

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

What offerings should we bring Him in worship? Be generous towards God with our heart, time, talents, possessions. These are searching chapters regarding hypocrisy between profession of honouring/respecting God and my actual practice.

SJA Notes

* Dear God, please write Your word on our hearts today, that we might know how to please You.

“He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips.”

In this final book of the old testament God the Lord calls out false worship and bad church leadership.

“He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.”

This is true of our great High Priest, Jesus.

“For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”

These are the marks of a faithful priest.

In 1 Peter chapter 2 we read that we are a priesthood,

“… you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
 

As with Jesus when on earth, so with us. As He spoke God’s word, so should we.

In whatever situation the Lord places us we can bring the good news, messengers about Jesus!

* Father God,

Thank You for our great High Priest, our King, Your beloved Son Jesus.

Please restrict the evil of bad church leadership today, wolves who rip and tear, despising Your Name and causing sheep to stumble.

Please save those around us Lord God, for Your Name’s sake, for Your glory.

Amen.

December 29, Reading 3 – Revelation 20:7-21:8

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

The Great White Throne – you need never be afraid that God will make mistakes. His throne is WHITE! Meditate on 21:1-8. Find one thing that brings comfort to you?

SJA Notes

* Mighty God, Your word tells us we will all stand before You at the final trumpet. Please help us understand.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

There are so many veins of deep theology in this passage!

One of these is our understanding of what the inheritance for God’s people looks like, what God has been building (John 14), the place prepared.

It is a new heaven and a new earth!

It is a joining together of God and man in final full complete perfection, God dwelling with us, we His people, He our God.

This new dwelling place is the holy city, new Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband – This is us!

And how important are these words about this place being prepared for us,

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

This inheritance being prepared for us is one without the travail of this life (the former things have passed away).

Our struggle, our pain, our heartache and sorrow and loss – These are temporary.

Praise God for that!

* Dear God,

Hallelujah, we praise Your Name!

Thank You that You are preparing for us such a place as we read here!

Please fix our eyes on You today.

Amen.