For you make [me] most blessed forever;
you make [me] glad with the joy of your presence.
For [I] trust in the LORD,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High [I] shall not be moved.--Psalm 21:6-7 (I've inserted personal pronouns in place of the nouns...David was writing about himself, so why not personalize it?)
read
Esther 5:9-13
Haman can't enjoy life at all because he sees Mordecai the Jew sitting at the gate. Mordecai ignored Haman when he walked by, upsetting him so much that he had to go home and gather his friends and family together to brag about his wealth and many accomplishments. What a sad man. He's been invited to a private dinner with Queen Esther and the King. Little does he know his fate...
think
How did Haman's preoccupations affect him? What did those preoccupations reveal about the kind of person he was inside?
First of all, they kept him from enjoying anything good that was happening to him. I would almost call them "obsessions," rather than "preoccupations." Anything that can totally rule one's life like that is an obsession. What they reveal about him is that he is such a small person that he must brag to his "friends" about his own accomplishments just to feel good about himself.
What preoccupations have filled your mind for the past 24 hours? What do these preoccupations reveal about who you are inside?
Hm...good question. When work was first starting last night, I was preoccupied with the lack of a copier/printer/faxer in the office I work in because some inconsiderate moron had moved it to a different office. (Please read that this was my feeling last night...it was wrong, totally wrong, nevertheless, it was how I was feeling.) Things like this tend to ruin my night. This reveals how petty I am capable of being when I embrace my own abilities and strengths/weaknesses instead of relying on the grace of God and what I know to be true. Turns out, someone was already planning on moving the copier back into the office. God was already at work. I felt kind of foolish.
Oddly enough, I'm in the middle of a John Piper reading about anger. This is something that I really need to release control of to Christ.
What things would you like to be preoccupied with?
I would like to be preoccupied with God. I would like to be obsessed with reading his word and learning more about him and developing the most intimate relationship possible with him. I have fed my flesh for so long...
pray
Colossians 3:2 says to "Set your minds on things above."
Father, help me to set my mind on you and things that relate to you. Help me to focus/obsess only on things that would please you and take me higher in a relationship with you.
live
Dream about becoming the kind of person whose mind is preoccupied with God. Contemplation is a time for receiving from God. Receive an image of yourself from him. Embrace the future you.
Embace the future you...
Hm. Maybe I like that idea.
Grace and peace to you!