Every youth needs to cultivate decision. A divided state of the will is a snare, and has been the cause of ruin to many. In Bunyan's “Pilgrim's Progress” there is a character called Pliable. Youth, shun this character. Those represented by it are very accommodating but they are as a reed shaken by the wind. They possess no will power. Be firm, else
God’s Plan for the Youth It is the privilege of the youth to have an education in the things of God. God loves them, and he will give to them a rich experience if they will deny self for Christ's sake, if they will depart from sin, and serve the Lord with full purpose of heart. By giving up worldly pleasure, by ceasing to serve self, and learning t
From age to age the heroes of faith have been marked by their fidelity to God; and they have been brought conspicuously before the world that their light might shine to those in darkness. Daniel and his three companions are illustrious examples of Christian heroism and devotion to principle. A brief account of the life of these four Hebrews is left
A Warfare against Intemperance No young man or woman could be more sorely tempted than were Daniel and his companions. To these four Hebrew youth were apportioned wine and meat from the king's table. But they chose to be temperate. They saw that perils were on every side, and that if they resisted temptation, they must make most decided efforts on
Making Decisions—A Life Skill Every youth needs to cultivate decision. A divided state of the will is a snare, and has been the cause of ruin to many. In Bunyan's “Pilgrim's Progress” there is a character called Pliable. Youth, shun this character. Those represented by it are very accommodating but they are as a reed shaken by the wind. They posses
A Matter of Life and Death As noted in a previous article, the book of Esther is built upon the theme of life and death. Lives are threatened (the king’s life by the doorkeepers, Mordecai’s life by Haman, and the lives of the Jews by Haman), lives are lost (the doorkeepers, Haman, Haman’s sons, and the enemies of the Jews), and lives are saved (Aha
God's Deliverance The day of death arrived. On the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, exactly one year since the writing of the death decree by Haman and its signing with the king’s signet ring, the assault upon the Jews occurred. Yet the assault was counteracted by a defense decree written by Mordecai and signed with the sa
God’s Purposes Know No Failure The full irony of Haman’s fall is disclosed in the beginning of chapter 8. Upon learning of the family relation between Mordecai and the Queen, King Ahasuerus gave the Jew his signet ring, which Haman had worn until his judgment. Someone who was very close to losing his life became the second most important person in
A Sleepless Night Providence comes through full force in this episode, and it is only the beginning of the divine power at work in the book of Esther. The night between the banquets, the night before the day when Haman was going to ask for Mordecai’s life and Esther was going to plea for her life, Mordecai’s life, and the lives of all the Jews in t
The Queen Gains Favor with the King When the Jews’ three-days fast was completed, Esther dressed-up and went before the king. The narrative begins in a slow pace, including a number of spatial and temporal markers in order to indicate where exactly she stood in reference to the palace structure and the king: Esther…stood in inner cour
