The Book of Esther is an interesting account of the
Jews under Persian rule. Through the evil influence of Haman, the king
had
signed a decree that all Jews were to die. The queen, who was herself a
Jew,
was encouraged to go before the king to plead their cause. When she
hesitated,
she was asked, “Who knows whether you have come to the
kingdom for such a time
as this?”
Sometimes there are things that need doing, and we may
be the only one at the time to do them. This has to do with
responsibility.
We have responsibilities to our families; parents to
teach their children the Word of God; to our nation to uphold and
defend it; to
ourselves to live in such a way that we will receive the
crown—“I have fought
the good fight.”
Are you fulfilling God’s purpose in life for you? Have
you obeyed His will?
Taking
Things for Granted
By
Ernest S. Underwood
Sometimes people take for granted as true things that
have no truth in them. Remember Jacob and Joseph. In some rather recent
scandals in the Roman Catholic Church about priests molesting young
boys, the
media has taken for granted that the pope is the successor of the
apostle
Peter, and that the bishops and other members of that hierarchy are men
appointed by God to direct His people. Nothing could be farther from
the truth.
History shows us that all of them, from the pope to all his underlings,
are the
result of the great apostasy that had its beginning in the second
century A.D.,
being brought to full fruition by the seventh century. The Word of God
knows
nothing of this apostate religion.
Others take for granted that a man with a quivering
voice who claims to be “Spirit filled” is actually
being guided by the Holy
Spirit. Again, a study of the Scriptures will show the falsity of such
claims.
In earthly things, it may not matter too much about
taking things for granted, but in spiritual matters, it can be the
difference
between eternal life and eternal damnation. Are you taking for granted
things
for which you should be demanding scriptural evidence?
