NEHEMIAH & ESTHER

I hope you are having a great day today.  I went to the gym this morning and worked out for over an hour and that has been my routine as of late.  I still have not worked out how to fit everything into every day, but I know that my doctor has been after me for a long while to start exercising and I know that I just have to make it a priority to keep in good health.  I finished up Nehemiah and went into Esther, and here are a few thoughts:

1) THE RED SEA- In Exodus, God parted the Red Sea and the children of Israel went over on dry ground.  The army of Pharaoh attempted the same thing and they were all drown as God brought the waters back again.  In Nehemiah 9:9-11 we see the Levites stand and bless the LORD their God.  Verse 11 says:  "And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters."  Whenever the Bible talks about this miraculous event, it uses phrases like "deep", "depths", "sea", "mighty waters".  All of these terms could never apply to what liberals would say was shallow waters.  In fact the Red Sea is very deep waters.  This is why a liberal could never see a God this Big!  But, our God is that Big and Bigger!!
2) DON'T NEGLECT CHURCH- Nehemiah 10:39 says:  "... and we will not forsake the house of our God."  The children of Israel along with the Spiritual leaders made a pack with God not to forsake His house.  We too should have that same kind of mindset.  Don't neglect your faithful attendance to the House of God.
3) IF I PERISH, I PERISH- Esther 4:16, says:  "... and if I perish, I perish."  Esther had to go into the presence of the King.  That was not allowed unless she was invited, and she had not been for a few weeks.  But, Mordecai knew she had to intervene or all of the Jews would die, including Esther.  So she had the Jews fast and pray for three days, and then she would go into the presence of the King uninvited, and if she perished... she perished.  The attitude is that "I will do what is right to do, and it all goes well, good; but if it goes bad, so be it!  I will do what is right to do.  Thus Esther was used of God to save the Jews.

Hope you have a great day today.  I'm looking forward to a full day and then Church tonight! 

Pastor Mike Mutchler