There are times when the stars seem to align just right and you find yourself basking in a bundle of blessings. Then there are times when everything seems out of sync and you find yourself drudging through a junkyard of disaster. Some would call this a coincidence. Others would call if pure luck. But another group would say that someone is working behind the scenes working out your destiny. And they’d be right! But is more than just someone. Esther knew this well.

The Israelites finally were able to return from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple. They started strong but in time turned their attention to other endeavors. What was important to God became unimportant to them. The Jews eventually got back to God’s priorities and took part in one of the greatest works of heaven. You can too. There are some things worth finishing.

Jesus pray for his disciples is that God might use them to reach others, who don’t know God yet. Jesus uses his last time with his disciples to remind them their purpose, share the good news with others. We will reflect on this passage as we celebrate God’s work through the Get Ready Capital Campaign at Trinity.

On VBS Sunday we are talking about the parable of the talent. In this parables Jesus shows us that there is no formula to grace, in fact from our human perspective grace is unfair, and that's a good thing.

I don't know what season in life you are in, but I do know this. God has something for you to do. He did for Jeremiah. He told Jeremiah he had a work for him to do. His assignment? Stand in the rubble of Jerusalem and weep. He was also told the people would not listen to him. That was it. And, oddly enough, Jeremiah did it. Whatever season of life you are in, God is calling you to make a difference. And He is desiring to equip you to make that difference. Right now. Today. Are you available for His purposes?

Laodicea

It's never easy to say the hard things. But when you care for someone and their well-being, you do it. Isaiah was a prophet sent by God to say things that would be tough to hear for their own good. Instead of thanking him for his insight, Isaiah got a much different reception from those he spoke with.

Verizon Wireless created one of the most memorable marketing campaigns ever in 2005. In their commercials a so-called “test man,” accompanied by a crowd of network engineers, travels the country asking the simple question, “Can you hear me now?” in an ongoing exercise to determine the reliability of the mobile phone carrier’s network. At the risk of selling him short, God has done the same. Even when the Kingdom had split in two, he kept sending his message. He sent his own “technicians” to get the message out. We call them “prophets.”

Rehoboam made a bad decision, but it was really his father Solomon’s actions that divided the kingdom. He forsook the one true God and chased after other “gods,” he neglected to serve the people and instead forced them to work harder, and he was focused on himself, as reflected in his accumulation of wives, gold, and horses in direct disobedience to God’s counsel. His son Rehoboam was merely living out consequence of those decisions and actions.

Next Christmas how would you answer the question, “If you could have one thing in the world, what would it be?” Solomon had to answer that one. He asked for wisdom. And God gave it to him. But by the end of his life he had accumulated more and more: more gold, more horses, more wives. He had it all and wanted more. In the midst of all these gifts he lost sight of the Giver. He turned away from God and lost it all.