Last night for Ray’s birthday, we went out to eat at a little near-by, rural restaurant, well-known in this area for its delicious steaks and crab legs. The Friday night special was prime rib, which Ray and I both ordered (Our daughter Leah opted for a cheeseburger!).  The prime rib lives up to its reputation – a thick, tender, juicy piece of meat.  Yep, it put a smile on Ray’s face. We finished his birthday off at home with the dessert I made him, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Meat is not for a baby, but for adults. Jesus spoke of  the meat of the Kingdom to his disciples, when He had just spent time with the Samaritan woman at the well, who had five husbands and who was now living with a man who wasn’t her husband.

The disciples were surprised that Jesus was talking to her, a Samaritan and a woman.  After spending time with Jesus, she had returned to her  town to tell everyone she knew about this man, the Messiah, and to come see Him.  Jesus was waiting for her at the well.  He had specifically chosen this woman with a past to use her for His glory.   The disciples had gone to buy some meat for Jesus and themselves, and when they returned with dinner, they urged Jesus to eat.

“In the meantime, his disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food (meat) to eat of which you do not know.”  Therefore, the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him anything to eat?”  Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, “There are still four months, and then comes the harvest?”  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.” (John 4:31-35, NKJV) 

The meat Jesus was talking about was spiritual, not physical.  His purpose was to do the will of God while He was here on earth. That is our purpose, too. God has divine appointments for us, people He wants us to talk to and to touch with His love and forgiveness each day.  He wants us to share the “meat” of His word with others, His words of eternal truth, that will minister to them, encourage their hearts, and set them free.

We are to find out the kind of work God wants us to do, and then finish it.  Maybe today you will come across a “woman at the well” – someone in need, who’s been hurting.  Take a moment to sit and talk with her, or with him.  God wants to use you to provide that person with spiritual nourshiment, the good news of the gospel, to feed their soul. Just open your eyes, and look – the harvest fields are ready.

Yesterday morning I had some coffee for the first time in awhile. I am no Turkish coffee lover. When I drink coffee, I want LOTS of creamer, specifically International Delight Hershey’s Chocolate Caramel creamer, plus sugar!

The sweet warmth of the coffee was soothing. As I drank it, I realized how much more often I need to just sit and relax. To quiet my mind and soul.  I also need more time filling up with God’s word, such as Psalm 23, The Message:

“God, my shepherd!  I don’t need  a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.  True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when You walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.  You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.  Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.  I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.”  Psalm 23, The Message

I was reading from Joyce Meyer’s book, How To Succeed At Being Yourself, about grace and favor (p. 139).  Favor is part of grace; both words are translated from the Greek word, charis.  Joyce writes, “Esther, Daniel and the Hebrew children, Ruth and even Jesus Himself received favor from God that caused them to be accepted instead of rejected in specific situations…Esther needed favor with the king. She was selected by God to bring deliverance to her people who were in danger. She stepped out in faith and went into a place that was hard for her in the natural. God gave her favor she was believing for, and she fulfilled the call on her life.” 

Are you in a hard place right now? Do you need God’s favor for something in your life? Are you believing for it?  God can do the same thing for you, that He did for Esther, a Jewish girl who had lost her parents and was raised by her uncle, Mordecai, and was raised up as a deliverer for her people.

 When Queen Vashti defied the king, and would not come into his court to display her beauty as he requested, she was removed from her royal position as queen, and her position was given away to another woman.  Her disobedience cost her the crown, and she lost all honor in front of the King and the people.  Esther and all the beautiful young virgins in the king’s province of Shushan were taken under custody, and given 12 months of beauty treatment, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes, to prepare for their one night with the king.  God wants to prepare our hearts for something great, that we would be saturated with His very presence wherever we go.

 Esther found favor with the king, and was chosen as queen. She stood out among all the others as she submitted herself to authority, and laid down her own will to honor God.  She knew that it was not  about her, but about God and His kingdom.  She even risked her own life to save her people, and God exposed the evil that had come against her and the Jews through Haman. In the end, Haman and his sons were hung, and God’s people were delivered – because one woman was obedient and had found great favor in God’s sight.

To fulfill the calling on our lives by God, we need His favor. It is available to you and me today. We just need to ask for it, to obey God,  and to receive.

“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. 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.  Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants, and he proclaimed a holiday and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.” (Esther 2:16-18)