The Book of Esther chronicles Esther’s ascension to the throne as well as the exploits that she achieved for her people as queen. However, Esther was not King Ahasuerus’ first wife; neither was she his original queen- Vashti was. Vashti’s short interlude in the Bible occurs in Esther 1:9-12 but the impact of her decisions literally influenced the course of history, particularly for her successor. This episode is therefore a goldmine of life lessons for us as modern women, especially regarding the power of obedience. Feel like listening rather than reading the rest of the devotional? No problem, just press play on the audio below:
An Interview with Ellen Chauvin on Mary Magdalene
Today I am honoured to share the enlightening words of Ellen Chauvin of Ellenchauvin.com- where she encourages "ordinary women to walk in extraordinary faith," helping us to face our fears and step out of our comfort zones through her writing.
Within her interview Ellen discusses how she has overcome her fear of people and people-pleasing, the importance of seeking God's face (following the example of Mary Magdalene, her favourite woman of the Bible) and realising that we each have a God-given purpose:
Lessons from Sarah on Patience
Sarah- formerly known as Sarai (like “The Artist formerly known as Prince”)- is first mentioned in Genesis 11 (verses 29-32 to be exact). She was the wife of Abraham (previously Abram), whom many Christians see as the father of our faith. Sarah was therefore a woman of great destiny and purpose; whose life is full of powerful lessons that we can extract from. Let’s explore what she has to say about patience. Prefer to listen rather than continue to read? No problem, simply press play on the audio below:
An Interview with Shannon Upton on Hagar
It is my absolute pleasure to share the wisdom of Shannon Upton, a Christian speaker, author and blogger over at organizingjesusmoms.com- where she helps Christian women, especially mothers, "clear out their spiritual clutter".
In today's interview, Shannon discusses Hagar (her favourite woman of the Bible), what some of the events of Hagar's life can teach us, as modern women, and encourages us with her own personal testimony of "living all in for Jesus":
Lessons from Potiphar's Wife on Footstools
Potiphar’s wife makes her cameo in the Bible in Genesis 39. To summarise the chapter, for those who don’t recognise this name, she was the one responsible for having Joseph (of technicolour dream coat fame) put in jail under false rape allegations. She is therefore usually represented as one of the vixens or femme fatales of the Bible. Villain though she may (rightly or wrongly) be viewed as- her life was significant and therefore contains content that we can learn from, especially regarding “footstools”. By the way, if you'd prefer to listen to this devotional rather than continue to read it- just press play on the audio below: