[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 18

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 18

WORD OF WISDOM

The tattoo of Marilyn Monroe that you got as a teenager will look like Mr.
Magoo when you become a senior citizen.

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DAILY DEVOTION

Tame the Tongue


As long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he
owns the whole estate.
(Galatians 4:1, NIV)

	 It's easy to make excuses in relationships. "I was rude to her
because she was rude to me. I shouldn't have said it, but I was so tired."
No, you have God's grace to always treat others with love and not say
hurtful things. You can either feed your flesh and say and do what you feel,
or you can feed your spirit and keep your mouth closed and do the right
thing. The problem is that if you keep saying everything you want, you'll
stay a child. The Scripture says that even though you're an heir of God with
an incredible inheritance that belongs to you-joy, peace, favor, promotion,
and abundance-if you remain a child, it won't be released.
Sometimes we let small things keep us from the big things God has in store.
In the big picture, it's a small thing to tame your tongue. God is simply
asking you to use your words and actions to bless and not curse, to build up
and not tear down.
	 
A Prayer for Today

"Father, thank You that You have given me Your grace and power to speak
loving words. Help me to stop excusing any hurtful things I say or do to
others. I declare that I will tame my tongue and walk in the incredible
inheritance You have for me. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Esther 1-3 New King James Version
The King Dethrones Queen Vashti
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus[a] (this was the Ahasuerus
who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to
Ethiopia), 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his
kingdom, which was in Shushan[b] the [c]citadel, 3 that in the third year of
his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants-the powers of
Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before
him- 4 when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of
his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

5 And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven
days for all the people who were present in [d]Shushan the [e]citadel, from
great to small, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 6 There
were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and
purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and
silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black
marble. 7 And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being
different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the
[f]generosity of the king. 8 In accordance with the law, the drinking was
not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his
household, that they should do according to each man's pleasure.

9 Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which
belonged to King Ahasuerus.

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he
commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas,
seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring
Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her
beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12
But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command brought by his
eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.

13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was
the king's manner toward all who knew law and justice, 14 those closest to
him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan,
the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king's
presence, and who [g]ranked highest in the kingdom): 15 "What shall we do to
Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King
Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?"

16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: "Queen Vashti has
not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who
are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen's behavior will
become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their
eyes, when they report, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought
in before him, but she did not come.' 18 This very day the noble ladies of
Persia and Media will say to all the king's officials that they have heard
of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and
wrath. 19 If it pleases the king, let a royal [h]decree go out from him, and
let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it
will not [i]be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King
Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better
than she. 20 When the king's decree which he will make is proclaimed
throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their
husbands, both great and small."

21 And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did
according to the word of Memucan. 22 Then he sent letters to all the king's
provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their
own language, that each man should be master in his own house, and speak in
the language of his own people.

Esther Becomes Queen
2 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he
remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2 Then the king's servants who attended him said: "Let beautiful young
virgins be sought for the king; 3 and let the king appoint officers in all
the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young
virgins to [j]Shushan the [k]citadel, into the women's quarters, under the
custody of [l]Hegai the king's eunuch, custodian of the women. And let
beauty preparations be given them. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases
the king be queen instead of Vashti."

This thing pleased the king, and he did so.

5 In [m]Shushan the [n]citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was
Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. 6
Kish[o] had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been
captured with [p]Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon had carried away. 7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is,
Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The
young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died,
Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

8 So it was, when the king's command and decree were heard, and when many
young women were gathered at [q]Shushan the [r]citadel, under the custody of
Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king's palace, into the care of
Hegai the custodian of the women. 9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she
obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides
[s]her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from
the king's palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place
in the house of the women.

10 Esther had not [t]revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged
her not to reveal it. 11 And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court
of the women's quarters, to learn of Esther's welfare and what was happening
to her.

12 Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had
completed twelve months' preparation, according to the regulations for the
women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months
with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for
beautifying women. 13 Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and
she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women's
quarters to the king's palace. 14 In the evening she went, and in the
morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of
Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to
the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of
Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she
requested nothing but what Hegai the king's eunuch, the custodian of the
women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the
tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained
grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal
crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king
made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants;
and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the
[u]generosity of a king.

Mordecai Discovers a Plot
19 When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within
the king's gate. 20 Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people,
just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai
as when she was brought up by him.

21 In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king's gate, two of the
king's eunuchs, [v]Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and
sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 So the matter became known to
Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's
name. 23 And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and
both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the
chronicles in the presence of the king.

Haman's Conspiracy Against the Jews
3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha
the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who
were with him. 2 And all the king's servants who were within the king's gate
bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning
him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. 3 Then the king's servants
who were within the king's gate said to Mordecai, "Why do you transgress the
king's command?" 4 Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he
would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether
Mordecai's words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was
filled with wrath. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for
they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to
destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus-the
people of Mordecai.

7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of
King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman [w]to
determine the day and the [x]month, [y]until it fell on the twelfth month,
which is the month of Adar.

8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered
and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their
laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's
laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. 9 If it
pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will
pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work,
to bring it into the king's treasuries."

10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the
son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said
to Haman, "The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as
seems good to you."

12 Then the king's scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first
month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded-to the
king's satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the
officials of all people, to every province according to its script, and to
every people in their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was
written, and sealed with the king's signet ring. 13 And the letters were
sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to
annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in
one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of
Adar, and to plunder their [z]possessions. 14 A copy of the document was to
be issued as law in every province, being published for all people, that
they should be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out, hastened by the
king's command; and the decree was proclaimed in [aa]Shushan the
[ab]citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of
Shushan was [ac]perplexed.

Footnotes
Esther 1:1 Generally identified with Xerxes I (485-464 b.c.)
Esther 1:2 Or Susa
Esther 1:2 Or fortified palace, and so elsewhere in the book
Esther 1:5 Or Susa
Esther 1:5 palace
Esther 1:7 Lit. hand
Esther 1:14 Lit. sat in first place
Esther 1:19 Lit. word
Esther 1:19 pass away
Esther 2:3 Or Susa
Esther 2:3 palace
Esther 2:3 Heb. Hege
Esther 2:5 Or Susa
Esther 2:5 palace
Esther 2:6 Lit. Who
Esther 2:6 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:6
Esther 2:8 Or Susa
Esther 2:8 palace
Esther 2:9 Lit. her portions
Esther 2:10 Revealed the identity of
Esther 2:18 Lit. hand
Esther 2:21 Bigthana, Esth. 6:2
Esther 3:7 Lit. from day to day and month to month
Esther 3:7 LXX adds to destroy the people of Mordecai in one day; Vg. adds
the nation of the Jews should be destroyed
Esther 3:7 So with MT, Vg.; LXX and the lot fell on the fourteenth of the
month
Esther 3:13 LXX adds the text of the letter here
Esther 3:15 Or Susa
Esther 3:15 palace
Esther 3:15 in confusion