Day 21

Queen Esther's Shrine

Esther 8:1-3:26 KJV NLT
Purim- Hebrew term for casting lots ( bets). This Jewish festival commemorates the Jews escape from Haman's treacherous plan of annihilation . Haman cast lots to decide which day he was going to kill the Jews but unfortunately for him, Esther spoiled his plans. After he was hanged in the gallows , Queen Esther pleaded with the king to issue another decree to end Haman plots. This decree led to Jews being allowed to defend themselves by any means necessary against any of their enemies. The day after the Jews did battle with their enemies, they celebrated and feasted. This festival is celebrated even now. In the modern day version of Purim, the Book of Esther is read out loud, people give charity to the poor, there is gift giving of food and wine, and a celebratory meal. I would like to know how come this festival is not celebrated by Christians?


1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13 KJV NLT

Chapter 13 is one of my favorite ones from the Bible and just summarizes to me what God has been trying to instill in us.

1 Corinthians 13

Love Is the Greatest

¹ If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;^[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

⁸ Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages^[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! ⁹ Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! ¹⁰ But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. ¹² Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.^[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Psalm 37:1-11 KJV NLT
Passage Psalm 37:1-11:

Psalm 37

¹Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

³Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

⁴Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

⁵Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

⁶And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

⁷Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

⁹For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

¹⁰For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

¹¹But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Proverbs 21:23-24 KJV NLT
Passage Proverbs 21:23-24:

²³Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

Didn't your mother always tell you that. Now we see where they get it from

²⁴Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

Tomorrow's Reading
Job 1:1-10:3 KJV NLT
1 Corinthians 14:1-17 KJV NLT
Psalm 37:12-29 KJV NLT
Proverbs 21:25-26 KJV NLT