S82P14 – The beauty of the call: Esther

Esth. 4:9-11

Hathach came back and told Esther what Mordecai had said. Then Esther spoke to Hathach and ordered him to reply to Mordecai, saying: “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court without being summoned, he has but one law, that he is to be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And as for me, I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.”

There are many things I did not understand when I first became a Christian.  Our faith is something we learn and grow in over time.  The beginning of my sanctification was marked with plenty of disagreements and arguments about this world in which we live.  I was a baby Christian who knew so many people in the world and just wanted them to have the awakening that I had experienced.  These conversations often were contentious and rarely ended positively.  I still took pride in my standing up for God and his word because I was fighting on the side of truth.  I wanted people to know the way things really are and not be deceived and walking in shadow.  Although I was correct that our faith is a matter of truth, I did not quite grasp that it is ultimately a matter of life and death.

When we think of Jesus and what He did for us, we must think of the opposing forces of life and death.  It was Adam who brought us to death, and it is Christ who brings us to life.  When we view our faith in these terms, that allows us to view our calling in a much clearer light.  The work God gives us to do is certainly about truth and justice and righteousness.  He wants us to share his love and grace with the world.  We cannot forget, however, that this is all a matter of life and death.  We must keep this at the forefront of our minds because the work to which God calls us very well may place us where Esther was placed.  She was forced to weigh whether the value of God’s plan was worth risking facing death.  

Perhaps it is not so difficult to imagine that God’s calling on our lives may require us to be uncomfortable or unpopular.  Perhaps it is not so difficult to imagine that this calling will put a spiritual target on our backs.  But, what if this calling means that we must be willing to risk these lives we live?  Hopefully, we understand the example of sacrifice exhibited by our Savior and walk in the same manner.  Hopefully, we submit to the will of God and the calling on our lives completely so that we are not conflicted or taken aback if He requires that we make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his plan.  Father, give us an attitude of unqualified sacrifice and full commitment to your plan, that we would gladly lay down our lives for its fulfillment.