Dad's Ramblings -- Character

"In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai .... And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter."
 
                                                         Esther 2:5a, 7
 
Esther is the focus of the story. But Mordecai, a man of strong character, was the real hero. Scripture does not indicate that he was married or had his own family. But when his cousin was left orphaned, he adopted her as his own daughter and raised her honorably. His character is demonstrated when he saved the king, an ungodly man, from assassination (2:19-23). It was really his character that prompted Hadassah to petition the king to save the Jews from genocide. She may not have had the courage to do that had it not been for Mordecai persistence. His character eventually elevated him to be second in command in the government, just under the king (10:3). Character – the inner strength to do what is right – is a personal quality that is to be sought and developed because it is the essence of godliness. It will cause a person to do what is right even in the face of pressure to do what is easy.
 
Today's Thought: Personal character is the foundation of godly living.
 
Have a character day (and life). Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Marriage

"After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what he had decreed against her. Then the king's servants who attended him said, 'Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king: .... Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.' This thing pleased the king and he did so."
 
                                                           Esther 2:1-2, 4
 
King Ahasuerus exemplifies the world's concept of marriage, which is based on personal pleasure. This leads to "throw-away" marriages.  If I am not pleased with my spouse, get rid of her and get a new one.   God's view of marriage is commitment for life, regardless of whether the person is happy with his mate or not. Jesus spoke directly to this question: "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" Jesus said the only allowance for divorce was infidelity (Matthew 19:3-9). We live in a society of "no-fault" divorce. Marriage can be abandoned for just about any reason. But God's plan is to be joined together with the glue of commitment "in good times and bad times, in sickness and it health." God's way is best.
 
Today's Thought: Marriage is not based on personal pleasure, but on commitment for life.
 
Have a committed day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Earned Honor

"And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: 'Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes .... This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king's officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him .... When the king's decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.' "
 

                                              Esther 1:16, 18, 19a, 20
 
Memucan had a wrong understanding of honor. It is a mistake to think that honor and respect can be legislated. They cannot be demanded. They are earned by a person's actions. Obedience may be attained by fear or some other motivation; but love, honor, and respect come from the heart. In a spiritual sense, some people obey God for fear of going to hell, but do not honor Him. The better obedience flows from a heart filled with respect for Who He is and what He has done. If I want people to honor and respect me, I need to act in ways that engender it.
 
Today's Thought: Honor is a better motivation for obedience than fear.
 
Have an honoring day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Listen

"...Therefore the king was furious and his anger burned within him. Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times .... 'What shall we do with Queen Vashti, according to the law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?' "
 
                                              Esther 1:12b -13, 15
 
A typical male response: Anger. Instead of taking responsibility for his wrong choice, and asking himself why his wife did not submit, he blamed her. Instead of listening to his wife's side of the issue, he listened to a bunch of his buddies who he knew had the same ideas and would support his own agenda. We husbands need sensitivity training to not only "understand the times" but to understand our wives. As Peter wrote: "Husbands dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (I Peter 3:7). This does not necessarily mean we have to agree, but that we need to honor her enough to listen and try to understand her perspective.
 
Today's Thought: A husband needs to listen to his wife's perspective.
 
Have a "listening" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- True Beauty

"On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded...to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come...."
 
                                                             Esther 1:10-11
 
Queen Vashti had more than beauty to her credit. She also had character. She refused to be paraded as an object – a mere piece of property that belonged to the king. The value of a person goes far deeper than the skin. If all a person has is external beauty, charm, or charisma, he or she is just an object – a hollow shell with nothing inside. Character is what really counts. As Peter said, "Let it [beauty] be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in the sight of God" (I Peter 3:4).
 
Today's Thought: The real beauty of a person is the inward character.
 
Have a beautiful day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Wise Choice

"And when these days were completed, the king made feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan, the citadel [or palace], from the great to the small .... And they served drinks in golden vessels...with royal wine in abundance. In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory for the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man's pleasure."
 
                                                      Esther 1, 5, 7-8
 
Even though the alcohol flowed freely, it is to the king's credit that he did not force people to drink. There were some who chose not to imbibe. In our society, alcohol flows freely and sometimes there is pressure to join the crowd. It seems strange to me that so many people drink in light of the negative effects – the devastation it causes, the stupid things people do under the influence, and the hangover the next morning. It is the wise person who has the character to abstain.
 
Today's Thought: To drink or not to drink is an individual choice, and the wise person chooses not to.
 
Have a wise day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- It's Party Time

It's Party Time
Esther 1:1-4
 
"Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus ... when King Ahazuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom ... that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants ... when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred eighty days in all."
 
It's Party Time. (But doesn't a half a year seem a bit much?) Parties are good things. "A feast is made for laughter" (Ecclesiastes 10:19). God instituted feasts for Israel to bring them together to worship. And the Father threw a party when the prodigal son returned (Luke 15:23-25). Indeed, we are invited to a great feast – the marriage supper of the Lamb. What a glorious time that will be. However, many of the world's parties end in disaster. As we shall see, this party by Ahazuerus involved a negative situation. Babylon fell during the feast of Belshazzar (Daniel 5). John the Baptist was beheaded during Herod's feast (Matthew 14:1-10). And even the "love-feasts" of the early church turned sour (I Corinthians 11:17-22; Jude 12). So let's party, but in a godly way. We have a lot to celebrate!
 
Today's Thought: There should be a difference between pagan parties and Christians' celebrations.
 
Have a party day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Rest Of The Story

Jonah 4:????
 
What a weird way to end a story. There is no answer to God's question. Does Jonah change? Does he continue as a prophet or does he get off-track? What is "the rest of the story" (as Paul Harvey would say)? My book is not yet finished either. There are more chapters waiting to be written. My hope is that there will be a good conclusion of honoring God before "The End."
 
Today's Thought: The story ain't over 'til it's over.
 
Have a living day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- God's Priorities

"But the LORD said, 'You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left – and much livestock?' "
 
                                                     Jonah 4:10-11
 
How often I am like Jonah. My priorities get all misplaced and I spend my emotional energy on things that are transitory – here today and gone tomorrow, instead of on the eternal – the souls of men who live in ignorance and do not know God. Oh, God, let my heart beat like Yours! Let my priorities reflect Your priorities.
 
Today's Thought: Our priorities should be God's priorities.
 
Have a focused day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Comfortable Life

"And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day, God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened when the sun arose that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.' "
 
                                                           Jonah 4:6-8
 
Was God capricious when He gave comfort to Jonah and then took it away the next day? I don't think so. I think God was creating a teaching moment for Jonah – that there are more important things in life than creature-comfort (see verses 10-11). Jonah was more wrapped up in himself and whether life was pleasant for him than having compassion for a city without God and without hope. How often my life is controlled by whether my life is comfortable when there is a world around me that is perishing without Christ. Oh God, forgive me for my self-centeredness.
 
Today's Thought: There is more to life than my own comfort.
 
Have a learning day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- A Right To Be Angry

"Then the LORD said, 'Is it right for you to be angry?' ..... Then God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?' And he said, 'It is right for me to be angry, even to death.' "
 
                                                                          Jonah 4:4, 9
 
A paraphrase might be: "What right do you have to be angry?" Did Jonah have a right to be angry just because things didn't go the way he wanted?  Jonah did not immediately answer the question. He just sat and sulked (vs. 5). Later, when the LORD asks him the same question, Jonah answered, "Yes, I have a right" (Verse 9). How much like Jonah am I. Even as God is dealing with my anger, I come up with all kinds of excuses why my anger is justified. How slow I am to acknowledge that God is God, and His ways are best.  So God patiently keeps dealing with me, asking me the same question over and over again.  The antidote to anger is to sing with the psalmist, "Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases" (Psalm 115:3; 135:6). Committing my plans and desires to God will help me avoid disappointment and anger when things don't go my way.
 
Today's Thought: Trusting God's wise providence is better than getting mad.
 
Have an anger-free day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- A Bruised Ego

"So he prayed to the LORD, and said, 'Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was in my country? Therefore I fled to Tarshish for I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O LORD, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than it is to live.' Then the LORD said, 'Is it right for you to be angry?' "
 
                                                                        Jonah 4:2-3
 
I wonder if the root of Jonah's anger was a bruised ego. His reputation as a prophet was at stake. What a prophet says is supposed to come to pass. His message was not repentance, but that Nineveh was going to be destroyed in 40 days. From the beginning, he knew that his prophecy would not happen because God is gracious and merciful, and so he fled to Tarshish. Now his fears were realized, and he felt like a fool, betrayed, angry. I know what it is like to try to follow what I think is God's leading, only to end up in failure. I felt like a fool in front of family and friends, stupid, betrayed by God, and yes, angry. It is not fun to look like a fool. But it is still better to just do what I think God wants and leave the results to Him.
 
Today's Thought: Letting God be God is more important than my reputation and ego.
 
Have a day of trusting God's leading, even if you look foolish.  Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Anger At Injustice

"Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry."
 
                                                                         Jonah 3:10; 4:1
 
Jonah's anger at seeing the Ninevites avoid punishment is not unlike most humans would respond. Our sense of justice calls for punishment. It does not sit well in our spirits when someone who is patently guilty gets off scott-free. When O. J. Simpson was not held accountable for killing his wife (although he was later found guilty in civil court), most Americans thought it was a failure of the justice system. Even Christians do not always respond with joy when sinners come to repentance. Instead of rejoicing, they sit in judgment and get angry. How different from the Jesus-model. In the parable of the lost son (Luke 15), the elder son was angry (vs. 28) and refused to join the party the father threw when the prodigal returned. God calls us to leave the vengeance to Him, instead of being the avengers (Romans 12:19). Besides, we need to remember how graciously God has forgiven us when we repented.
 
Today's Thought: Vengeance belongs to God – not to us.
 
Have a rejoicing day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- National Repentance

"Then the word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying... 'Let every man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God, yes let everyone turn from his evil way....Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?' "
 
                                                                                           Jonah 3:6-10
 
National spiritual awakening starts at the grass roots level, and is endorsed and promoted by the government leadership. Throughout American history (until recently) during times of national distress, our presidents have proclaimed national days of prayer, and God has shown mercy and helped us. In our present distress, there is only one thing that will save America. It is not the Congress passing laws and spending money. It will come about when we as a nation, from the president down to the individual citizens, 1) humble ourselves in repentance; 2) cry mightily to God, and 3) turn from our evil ways. Perhaps God in His mercy will relent so that we will not be destroyed as a nation. O God, help us!!!
 
Today's Thought: The answer for our national distress is God.
 
Have a seeking-God day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- A Simple Message

"And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.' So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least."
 
                                                                           Jonah 3:4-5
 
This is amazing. Nineveh was a great city, a three day walk (vs. 3), which at 2 miles per hour eight hours per day would be 48 miles in length. Phoenix itself is 50 miles from north to south. It is difficult to imagine an entire city that size repenting and believing God. Jonah's appearance (having just been vomited out of the fish) probably gave his simple message powerful impact. But the people were apparently also ready to receive it. Something in the depth of their souls said, "We need to repent." O God, if it happened in Nineveh, let it happen again in America!
 
Today's Thought: God can use a simple message to turn people to Him.
 
Have a believing day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Second Chances

"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah arose and went...."
 
                                                                       Jonah 3:1-3a
 
Jonah was willing to obey God's voice the second time after going through a time of discipline. How wonderful is our longsuffering and patient God. He comes again and again to speak to our hard hearts. Often it is the "belly-of-the-fish" experience that makes us willing to be willing. God does give second chances, but I need to remember that "God's spirit will not always strive with man" Genesis 6:3), and even though "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever" (Psalm 103:8-9). How much better to say "Yes" the first time.
 
Today's Thought: God gives second chances, but there are limits to His patience.
 
Have a "Yes" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Obeying God's Will

"So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land."
 
                                                                       Jonah 2:10
 
All creation obeys when God speaks. At the word of the Lord, the Red Sea parted to make dry land. The sun stood still at God's command. He told a rock to produce water and it did. He told a donkey to speak and it obeyed. All creation obeys – except humans. We alone think we have the option of obeying or spurning God's Word. When we reject what He says, we pay a price, but He goes to great lengths to get us to bring us to point of surrender to His will. Like Pharoah and the plagues, God can make life miserable until we say "Yes" to His will and His way. Only then will we experience release and peace.
 
Today's Thought: Escape from the discipline of the Lord comes through surrender to His will.
 
Have a obedient day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Thankfulness in Trouble

" 'Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.' "
 
                                                                        Jonah 2:8-9
 
The change in Jonah's outlook is demonstrated by thanksgiving. It is not easy to be thankful in the fish's belly, surrounded by darkness and the stench of rot with seaweed wrapped around your head. But in the dark times, there is peace in the soul when faith in God's salvation and deliverance is renewed. That's why it is so important to give thanks in everything (I Thessalonians 5:18). It is an affirmation of my trust in God's faithfulness.
 
Today's Thought: Thankfulness in the hard times is a witness to faith in a faithful God.
 
Have a thankful day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Remember

" 'When my soul fainted within me, I remember the LORD, and my prayer went up to You into Your holy temple.' "
 
                                                                                 Jonah 2:7
 
Jonah had sea-weeds wrapped around his head (vs. 5) and felt that he was going to die (vs. 6). When a person experiences what the mystic called "the dark night of the soul" – when faith grows faint – the best antidote is to remember the Lord. David prayed this when faced with adversity: "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13). Remember God's goodness and faithfulness when life is dark.
 
Today's Thought: Remembering the goodness of God in the past is an encouragement to faith in the present.
 
Have a remembering day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Cast Away

"Out of the belly of Sheol I cried and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of your sight; yet I will again look toward Your holy temple.' "
 
                                                                         Jonah 2:2b-4
 
I know what it is like to feel like to feel isolated from God – cast away, separated from His presence. The year was 1971 when I was 30 years old. I had resigned from my teaching job with the goal of being a vocational missionary to South America. But nothing happened. No teaching position materialized and I felt abandoned by God – cast aside, put on the shelf. It has been 40 years and I can still feel the emptiness and anguish of my soul. I sought the Lord with tears and cried out to the Him, but there did not seem to be any answer. I could not feel God's presence. For 6 long months I felt isolated from God. The only thing that kept me going was faith that God was real and was in His heaven – His holy temple. In the dark times of Sheol, God does hear my voice, even when I don't feel like He is there.
 
Today's Thought: God still hears even when I feel like He is not there.
 
Have a faith-life day. Love you.