| “As the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.” – Esther 9:22 |
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| It was Time to CELEBRATE!! Our verse to consider called for the JEWS to pause and CELEBRATE as the plot of evil Haman to destroy (literally annihilate) the Jews was foiled and had greatly failed. With reports coming into the capital of how the Jews had not just protected themselves from their enemies but had killed their enemies, Mordecai determined it was time to CELEBRATE. And it was a very deserved CELEBRATION as just a few chapters earlier in the book of Esther the Jewish people were facing annihilation. But because of the bravery of Esther to expose Haman’s plot and her request for the Jews to defend themselves the Jewish people rallied and experienced one of its greatest victories. And when there is a victory there needs to be a celebration! Do you know how to pause to celebrate? I heard once that Christians don’t celebrate well. The thought was presented at a leadership conference. The challenge was given that as we lay out the vision and goals we believe God would have us do and then see God do the miraculous to accomplish those goals that we should PAUSE to CELEBRATE. I will state here that I was convicted, and was greatly challenged to incorporate the PAUSE to CELEBRATE into our schedule. Working at a university did offer natural PAUSES and we decided to start taking advantage of the end of the school year with end-of-the-year banquets or CELEBRATIONS. While we did not do everything found in Esther 9:22 we did try to have a time of feasting. And there was lots of joy as we shared stories of how God worked. As you consider to incorporate PAUSE to CELEBRATE I will tell you that there is great value in doing so. It allows for reflection that leads to gratitude to God and for a time to say thank you to those who worked so hard to make the dreams become a reality. Pausing to celebrate leads to glorifying God for the great things HE DID. Pausing to celebrate will also bring about more dreaming. So, how do you PAUSE to CELEBRATE the workings of God in your life, your church, your ministries, etc.? Verse to DATE the Word on September 22 (9/22) is Esther 9:22. It says, “As the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.” Most of us know how to celebrate a sport’s victory. Let us celebrate spiritual victories! Continue Strong with an occasional PAUSE to CELEBRATE And remember to DATE the Word |