Uncommon Era

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Uncommon Era, was written by Tim Gustafson. Despite living much of his life as a pagan, the Roman Emperor Constantine implemented reforms that stopped the systematic persecution of Christians. He also instituted the calendar we use, dividing all of history into BC, Before Christ, and AD, Anno Domini, or In the Year of Our Lord.

A move to secularize this system has changed the labels to CE, Common Era, and BCE, Before the Common Era. Some people point to this as yet another example of how the world keeps God out. But God hasn't gone anywhere. Regardless of the name, our calendar still centers itself around the reality of Jesus' life on earth. In the Bible, the book of Esther is unusual in that it contains no specific mention of God, yet the story it tells is one of God's deliverance. Banished from their homeland, the Jewish people lived in a country indifferent to Him.

A powerful government official wanted to kill them all. Yet, through Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, God delivered His people, a story still celebrated to this day in the Jewish holiday of Purim. Regardless of how the world chooses to respond to Him now, Jesus changed everything. He introduced us to an uncommon era, one full of genuine hope and promise. All we need to do is look around us.

We'll see Him. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Esther chapter 9 verses 20 through 23 and 29 through 32. Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar, as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. And now picking up at verse 29. So Queen Esther, daughter of Abigail along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim, and Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes' kingdom, words of good will and assurance, to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation.

Esther's decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the history-changing reality of your son Jesus, and how because of him we have the hope and promise of eternity with you. Help us to share that great news and gospel to those around us and trust you to lead them. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Stephen, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.