King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.
In the OT, there are many references to the "Books of the Kings." Yet I had not up to this point found written, a reference to a "commoner" being written about in these books. So, I did a bit of research...
There are many "books" mentioned in the Bible. The book of Moses, the book of Life, the book of the prophets, as well as the books of the kings. Before the times of the printing presses, scribes were used to write history, they were used to record what went on in courts of law, and in the courts of kings and kingdoms. And all that was written, and not lost, has now become history.
As I was doing my little bit of research on the subject, I came across this verse:
As I was doing my little bit of research on the subject, I came across this verse:
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3
People write down what they want to remember, they write down what they think is important, and just as it was in the past, records are kept of what goes on in a court of law, and in a government. People write letters to one another, sharing their everyday lives and concerns with those that they know and love. People write books to tell a story, or to share information, or to record history. We write because.....we have something to say!
As I read the verse in 2 Corinthians, I was convicted of how I was not living a life that reflected what has been written on my heart!
You see, God has used my heart as a piece of paper (a tablet), and He has written a letter, (a book if you will) for the world to see. Why? Because God has something to say!! He wants my life to be a reflection of His life, of His love, and of His grace for people. God wants to tell the world about Himself through me!
So often though, this book, this letter of my heart looses a person's interest, because they can't get past the cover! They can't get past me! I know, we are not to judge a book by it's cover, but we all do it.......I know I do. Also, we have it heard it said that when we meet a person for the first time we make judgements about who they are, or what they are like, in the first 30 seconds! We know that we should give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but so often it is hard to get past that initial reaction to them.
What has been written on the "tablet" of my heart, needs to be read. I asked the Lord right there and then, to make my "cover" be something that doesn't push people away. I asked that my "cover" be something that draws others in and doesn't push them away. I want them to want to know about my Savior.
