E-pistle for November 14, 2008
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E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation November 14, 2008
Esther Is Crowned Queen of Persia
(Esther 2:1-23)
I. Concentration: on the events in this chapter
1. Upon the advice of his counselors, King Ahasuerus summoned all the
beautiful young virgins to the capital city, Shushan; the winner of the
beauty contest, judged by the king, would become the queen, vv. 1-4.
2. One of the Jewish captives in Shushan was Mordecai, who had brought
up his cousin, Esther, when her parents died; at Mordecai's orders, Esther
had not revealed that she was a Jew when she was brought into the
palace to be prepared for the contest, vv. 5-11.
3. Esther, who had become a favorite of the custodian of the women, Hegai,
eventually came before Ahasuerus, who, loved her more than all the other
women; he crowned her as his queen, vv. 12-18.
4. Mordecai overheard a plot to assassinate the king and reported it to Esther,
who informed Ahasuerus; the two treasonous conspirators were hanged,
vv. 19-23.
II. Meditation: on the characteristics of Esther
1. She was lovely and beautiful, v. 7.
2. She was obedient to her guardian, Mordecai, vv. 10, 20.
3. She humbly followed the advice of her court custodian, Hegai, and she
obtained favor in the sight of all who met her, v. 15.
4. She obtained grace (a spiritual gift from God) which made her stand out from
the other women . . . and which caused the king to choose her to become
queen of the Persian Empire, v. 17.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen here
1. Persons whom God has anointed to fulfill a special destiny will exhibit an inner
loveliness and spiritual beauty that far transcends mere physical attractiveness.
2. Persons whom God uses are submissive and obedient, giving honor and respect
to their parents, guardians, and other persons in authority.
3. Persons whom God has chosen possess a sweet cooperative spirit which causes
others to love and appreciate them.
4. Person on whom God bestows His grace stand out from the crowd because of
their spiritual radiance.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Realize that the Lord has anointed me by His Spirit to fulfill a special and specific
purpose . . . God's destiny for my life.
2. Always exhibit a submissive, obedient attitude toward those whom the Lord has
placed over me, giving to them honor and respect.
3. Be humble and cooperative in spirit as I work with others.
4. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill my life so that the radiance of the Lord may shine
through me.
Crucified With Christ
(Galatians 2:1-21)
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Paul wrote of defending the gospel which he preached, vv. 1-6.
2. Paul cited his acceptance by James, Peter, and John, vv. 7-11.
3. Paul confronted Peter about his hypocrisy, vv. 12-19.
4. Paul testified that he had been "crucified with Christ" vv. 20-21.
II. Meditation: on verse 20
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives
in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of
God, who, loved me and gave Himself for me," Galatians 2:20
III. Observations: on Christ's ministry to me personally
1. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, loved me so much that He died for me . . .
He "loved me and gave Himself for me."
2. Spiritually speaking, when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my
old, sinful self was crucified (put to death), and my spirit was resurrected
. . . quickened by the Holy Spirit in the experience called the "new birth,"
John 3:3-7.
3. Now Christ literally lives in me because I have received Him by faith . . .
"no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me," (See Romans 8:9)
4. My present physical life is really Jesus living His life through me as I walk
by faith and in obedience to Him, Colossians 1:27.
IV. Revelation: on the spiritual implications of this text
1. The breadth, length, depth, and height (Ephesians 3:18) of God's love is
manifested by the greatness of His gift to the world, John 3:16.
2. The resurrection power, that brought Jesus out of the tomb, is the same
power that saved me, equips me, for Christian service, and will transport
me to be with Christ eternally, Romans 8:11.
3. Since Christ lives in me, I should let Him control my thoughts, emotions,
speech, and actions.
4. If Christ is in me, living His life through me, I should be exhibiting a growing
degree of His spirit, His character, and His radiance.
V. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Worship, praise, and thank God for His indescribable gift, II Corinthians 9:15.
2. Realize that the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit is available to me for
spiritual insight and development, and that the Holy Spirit desires to fill me
with supernatural empowerment for service.
3. Deliberately and continually set my mind to walk "IN HIS STEPS" . . . seeking,
discovering, and following His will for me by asking and answering the WWJD
question: "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?"
4. Let (allow) the "Light of the World" radiate within me and to be seen through
me, John 8:12; Matthew 5:14-17.
Here is the rest of the Thanksgiving Fact list:
11. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims
how to cultivate the land.
12. The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first
Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring
Wampanoag Indians to the feast.
13. The first Thanksgiving feast was held in the presence of around ninety
Wampanoag Indians and the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit, was also
invited there.
14. The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
15. President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving
Day Proclamation in the year 1789 and again in 1795.
16. The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom
in 1817.
17. Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor with a magazine, started a Thanksgiving
Campaign in 1827 and it was result of her efforts that in 1863 Thanksgiving
was observed as a day for national Thanksgiving and prayer.
18. Abraham Lincoln issued a "Thanksgiving Proclamation" on third October 1863
and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day
for Thanksgiving. Whereas earlier the presidents used to make an annual
proclamation to specify the day when Thanksgiving was to be held.
19. President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November
as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping
season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.
20. Congress passed an official proclamation in 1941 and declared that now onwards
Thanksgiving will be observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of
November every year.
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