Purim is today and is a reminder of how quickly God can turn the tables and take us from fasting to feasting. The typical tradition is to fast during the daylight hours and feast during the evening. When fasting make sure to rely on God's grace for help rather than trying to discipline yourself out of will power. If fasting is too extreme for you, consider eating a little lighter during the day and having a slightly bigger meal in the evening.
Moving from fasting to feasting in one day symbolizes how God can quickly turn around situations that look impossible. When things are against us God can turn the tables and give us the upper hand, causing us to come out on top.
Purim comes from book of Esther. A law was written that was going to destroy God's people, and once the law was written it could not be undone.
The answer was to write a new law that would override the old. When Queen Esther and Mordecai approached the king about writing a new law the king told them something very interesting. He told them to write whatever they wanted. They wrote a new law that turned the tables and put the Jewish people in control. It says that they gained the upper hand or mastery over their enemies. What was meant to harm them turned into a time of joy.
Purim is a reminder of Jesus as the table turner. He turned the tables and brought in grace. In the Old Covenant the law had to be followed to be right with God, but now we have grace through Jesus.
Once God put the law of the Old Covenant in place it couldn't be undone. The Old Testament law is still around if we want to try to earn favor with God. Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Jesus brought the New Covenant of grace that overrides the Old Covenant and sits above it. It turns the tables and gives us God's grace by simply believing in Jesus. Jesus turned the tables with the New Covenant which overrides the old and gives us the upper hand and mastery over our enemies because God is fighting for us.
We now have access to God's grace by simply believing in Jesus, and in that grace God has given us everything he has... his wisdom, understanding, righteousness, love, power, peace, joy, energy, health, finances, time, and much more. When we face issues and troubles in life we can trust and rely that God is now fighting for us because the tables have been turned. With him on our side it gives us the upper hand and the ability for things to turn around quickly if situations are ever against us. Jesus said that if we have troubles to be of good cheer because he has overcome the world.
Jesus is the table turner, he even turned over the tables in the temple. God is now fighting for us and our fight now, the fight of faith, is to keep our minds and eyes fixed on God, when life tries to divert our attention. To put our hope, trust, and confidence in God, that he is fighting for us. When situations come at us in life the greatest warfare we can do is to choose to focus on God instead of the darkness, because he will fight for us. If you are in a situation where the tables need to be turned, simply look to him and be confident that he is fighting for you and always causes you to triumph.
In our program the Abundant Life Blueprint we talk often about table turners. Every area of life has a table turner. For example, the table turner for finances is partnership because it turns the tables from doing everything on our own to working together with others.
The most important table turner in all of life is taking communion regularly. Communion reminds us that Jesus turned the tables and God is now continually working for our good.
If you are ever faced with a situation that looks impossible try taking communion as a reminder that Jesus turned the tables, and God has a way out. If we will focus on him, he will help us turn the tables on the situations of life, causing us to gain the upper hand and turn it around.
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