IN THE BACKGROUND Wednesday Read: Esther 8 “1 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman,the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and…

IN THE BACKGROUND Tuesday Read: Esther 6 “1 That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who…

IN THE BACKGROUND Monday Read: Esther 5:9-14 “Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his…

STRENGTH AND DELIVERANCE Friday Read: Esther 3:1-6 “After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this…

STRENGTH AND DELIVERANCE Thursday Read: Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (NIV Psalm 73:26) Study:  Humans are weak. We get sick. We get hurt. We die. These can bring great pain and sadness into our life but scripture reassures us that, while those pains of…

STRENGTH AND DELIVERANCE Wednesday Read: Esther 2:19-20 “When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her…

STRENGTH AND DELIVERANCE Tuesday Read: Isaiah 40:29 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (NIV Isaiah 40:29) Study: We live in a messy world. Sometimes this world can make you feel exhausted or beat down. The good news in this is that we worship a God who gives unbelievable strength and…

STRENGTH AND DELIVERANCE Monday Read: Esther 2:5-7 “Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin, king of Judah. Mordecai…

QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK Friday Read: Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (NIV Ephesians 4:29) Study: This is a hard verse to hear. It is easy to casually…

QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK Thursday Read: Proverbs 16:24 “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (NIV Proverbs 16:24) Study: Over the past few days, we have been talking about the importance if listening. It is true that we are supposed to be slow to speak at…