Okay, please read these four areas of scripture, then I’ll break it down to my thoughts:
“On the seventh day of the party, the king, high on the wine, ordered the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants (Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas) to bring him Queen Vashti resplendent in her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the guests and officials. She was extremely good-looking.”  Esther 1:10-11
“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” Proverbs 20:24
“But you, LORD, will rule as king forever!  Your name will continue forever and ever!” Psalms 102:12
“We should live in a right way, like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or be drunk. We should not be involved in sexual sin or any kind of immoral behavior. We should not cause arguments and trouble or be jealous. ¹⁴ But be like the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when people see what you do, they will see Christ. Don’t think about how to satisfy the desires of your sinful self.”  Romans 13:13-14
Now, take these verses, put them in a bag, and shake them up together like my momma did chicken in a paper bag ready for battering and frying.  Here’s the underlying theme that I put together today (and since it is the start of a new school year, how appropriate):

• Queen V was beautiful.  The king was drunk (My goodness, he partied for over six months straight!).  He ordered her to come show-off her beauty.  In the studies I’ve done and books I’ve read about the book of Esther, the king was summoning her to come dressed in ONLY her crown.  Hello…she’d be naked. Eeek.  Well, she refused.  Amen to Queen V.
• Okay, girls, if you are ever put in a situation like this or you are being asked to do something that is not appropriate, REFUSE!  So what if you get called a prude for not “going with the crowd”.  Stand up for what is right!  Respect your body!
• We are reminded in Proverbs that God will direct our steps.
• Yes! He will, but we must allow Him to.  Choose your steps wisely.  Pray about everything!
• Psalms tells us that He will rule forever!
• Praise Him!  He didn’t just rule back in biblical times.  He didn’t write, “In the year 2012, I will stop reigning.”  No.  He is our king.  Honor Him.  Bring glory to God.
• Now, did you read Romans?  Read it again.
  • Don’t have wild parties, get drunk, have sex outside of marriage, argue and be jealous over ridiculous stuff, etc.  BE LIKE JESUS!  Opinions of others will always be there.  But whose opinion truly matters?  God’s.  You will be soooo glad you listened to God if you obey His rules.  Believe me!

This sounds like a good recipe for us to follow.  My momma’s friend chicken is mmmm scrumptious, but God’s recipe for life is so much better.  (She would agree with me.)
Blessings to you.
Have a wonderful and godly school year.
August 21, “Walking in the Word”