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Read Esther 4:12-17
​“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (v. 16).
​During Emperor Nero’s first persecution, the believers begged Peter not to be seen in Rome. His life was considered necessary to the well-being of the church. Finally persuaded, he fled along the Appian Way only to be met by a vision of Christ traveling toward the city. The amazed Peter exclaimed, “Lord, whither goest thou?”
With mild sadness, the Savior replied, “I go to Rome to be crucified a second time,” then vanished. Peter immediately turned back and reentered the city. Some time later, he himself was crucified. (Ray Crooks)

I counted dollars while God counted crosses,
​​I counted gains while He counted losses,
​I counted by worth, by the things gained in store
​​But He sized me up by the scars that I bore.
​I coveted honors and sought for degrees,
​​He wept as He counted the hours on my knees;
​I never knew until one day by the grave
​​How vain are the things that we spend life to save;
​I did not yet know until my loved one went above
​​That richest is he who is rich in God’s love.
– Unknown

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose” (Jim Elliott).

This week’s featured devotional is the Thursday, September 4​​​​​​​, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "Wooden Cross at Souliers" by Andrew Bowden used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped.

Read John 6:60-65
“And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (v. 65).
Without getting involved in a theological discussion of election, let us remember the fact that “The Lord is not . . . willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). It is also important to remember the words of Jesus when He said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44). This drawing we often refer to as conviction. This may be more evident in evangelistic services in dealing with unsaved people.
During an altar call several years ago, it was evident that God was drawing a young father to repent. I had spoken to him personally, but he said he had rejected God so long, it was no use to seek Him. After some persuasion he finally said, “I’ll try,” and went to the altar. As he and others began to pray, God drew near, and he soon arose from the altar rejoicing that God had saved him. The Father had brought him to Himself.
“The Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts” (Heb. 3:7, 8). (Burl McClanahan)

Jesus is pleading; O list to His voice:
Hear Him today, hear Him today.
They who believe on His name shall rejoice;
Quickly arise and away. — Fanny J. Crosby

God still hears the repentant sinner.

This week’s featured devotional is the Tuesday, August 19, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "Holy Huddle" by amslerPIX used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized and cropped.

Read Ecclesiastes 12:8-14
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (v. 13).
The phone rang. Answering it, I found a telemarketer offering a product/service that interested me. We talked about it for a little while, but I was in a hurry. I wanted to get to the bottom line. What would this cost me? The telemarketer had different ideas. His goal was to set up an appointment so I could spend twenty minutes online and on the phone talking to someone about the benefits of the product.
We ended the phone call with the telemarketer promising to email information, including prices, to me and to call the next week.
Reading Ecclesiastes can be a challenging assignment. The emphasis on vanity, emptiness, can be almost enough to bring discouragement to an optimist. Times were hard for Solomon. He had started his reign as king by doing the right things, but along the way he lost his focus. Now, coming down to the end of this book, he weighed what is really important.
Here is the bottom line; here is what is really important. “Fear God, and keep his commandments.” Finally, Solomon realized this. He had allowed his life to be full of emptiness. It was the wrong choice. Make a better choice than Solomon made. Give your life to God and do His will. “This is the whole duty of man.” (Mark Avery)

Fulfill your duty to God.

This week’s featured devotional is the Monday, August 11, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "Téléphone ancien" by zigazou76 used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized and cropped.