READ: Esther 8-10

THINK: Mordecai was a true patriot, and therefore, being exalted to the highest position under Ahasuerus, he used his eminence to promote the prosperity of Israel. In this he was a type of Jesus, who, upon His throne of glory, seeks not His own, but spends His power for His people. It were well if every Christian would be a Mordecai to the church, striving according to his ability for its prosperity.

Some are placed in stations of affluence and influence, let them honour their Lord in the high places of the earth, and testify for Jesus before great men. Others have what is far better, namely, close fellowship with the King of kings, let them be sure to plead daily for the weak of the Lord’s people, the doubting, the tempted, and the comfortless. It will redound to their honour if they make much intercession for those who are in darkness and dare not draw nigh unto the mercy seat.

Instructed believers may serve their Master greatly if they lay out their talents for the general good, and impart their wealth of heavenly learning to others, by teaching them the things of God. The very least in our Israel may at least seek the welfare of his people; and his desire, if he can give no more, shall be acceptable. It is at once the most Christlike and the most happy course for a believer to cease from living to himself. He who blesses others cannot fail to be blessed himself. On the other hand, to seek our own personal greatness is a wicked and unhappy plan of life, its way will be grievous and its end will be fatal.

Here is the place to ask thee, my friend, whether thou art to the best of thy power seeking the wealth of the church in thy neighbourhood? I trust thou art not doing it mischief by bitterness and scandal, nor weakening it by thy neglect. Friend, unite with the Lord’s poor, bear their cross, do them all the good thou canst, and thou shalt not miss thy reward!

– Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon

PRAY: Have a really honest moment with God today about the way you use your talents and gifts – for yourself or for others. Ask him to help you be more like Christ and to build in your heart a willingness to put yourself on the line for the sake of those around you that they might be saved.

READ: Esther 3 & 4

THINK: We live in a culture that is both very good and very bad. It’s very good because, in many ways and in comparison to most of the world, we live in luxury. We have stores full of the finest foods, the best clothing, the newest technology. We own homes and cars and amazing amounts of stuff. But our culture is also very bad. We forget how to be compassionate to a hurting world. We are apathetic about movies and music and morals that openly reject the God we serve. We keep quiet about our faith to have acceptance by our peers.

And many centuries ago, for those living in Persia, some things were very good. Making a good living, enjoying the finer things of life – all this was possible in Persia. Persia was prosperous, powerful. But also pagan. And because of that, Persia was also very bad – deadly, in fact, for those who professed faith in the one true GOD.

Like Mordecai and Esther, we live in a prosperous culture  that is often antagonistic toward God.  If we choose not to stand up for Jesus, even in the face of ridicule or rejection, we will be just one of the crowd. If we don’t take risks, we can never expect to succeed in our faith walk. Mordecai reminded Esther that even though she was queen, she would fare no better than the rest of the Jews if she didn’t risk talking to the king. If we choose not to stand up for Jesus, God will choose someone who is willing. We will miss out on the blessing and the opportunity to make an eternal difference. Mordecai reminded Esther that God would accomplish his purpose, with her or without her. If we choose not to stand up for Jesus, we may miss out on the purpose God has for our life.

Standing up is scary. We can’t be sure of the outcome. We may face rejection and even humiliation. But if God if for us, who can be against us? Winston Churchill said it like this, “There comes a special moment for which that person was born. That special opportunity, when he seizes it, will fulfill his mission – a mission for which he is uniquely qualified. In that moment he find greatness. It is his finest hour.”

PRAY: Ask God to help you be strong, bold, and courageous today. Ask him to help you develop a willingness to stand up for him no matter what the cost as you speak his grace, love, and truth to the world around you.

READ: Esther 2

THINK: God can use you – and if you’re willing to put your life in his hands, he will use you.

Let’s think about Esther’s reality for a moment. Perhaps you, like me, have heard her story a thousand times. Perhaps you remember all the highlights of what she accomplished and how God used her. But do you remember the details of who she is?

We learn in chapter 2 that Esther is an orphan. Her mother and father died and her uncle Mordecai makes her his own. We also know that she is living in Susa. Along with the rest of the Jewish people, she should have been living in the promised land that God had given them several hundred years earlier. But because of sin and disrespect for God – they were handed over to their enemies. When given a chance to go back and rebuild Jerusalem, the city God had given them, most Jews (including Mordecai and Esther) stayed behind, enjoying life in enemy country.

This doesn’t exactly look like a resume that would get you a job at being used by God to save the world. And yet – it is.

The one thing Esther had going for her was her beauty. And as we read in chapter 2 her great beauty and hidden identity win her a spot in King Xerxes harem. Don’t think luxurious spa treatments all the time and everything you want at your fingertips. Imagine the reality of your entire purpose in life as a girl to be called on by the King for his own pleasure, whenever he wanted you, to do whatever he asked. That’s Esther’s reality now. A beautiful Jew in the wrong place being made an object of the King’s lust. Why would God choose her? Why did God want her to be the one he worked through? That’s a question we might never know – but what we can learn from Esther’s story is this…

No matter where we find ourselves, or how ugly we’ve become due to our sin – God knows where we are at and wants to use us. He wants to clean us up and give us a purpose. God desires to make broken people vessels of his work! And as he uses us we begin to see that the potential for making a difference is already inside of us. For Esther, it was her beauty. As you might have noticed in verse 15, Esther ran the course of beauty treatments, but didn’t ask for anything extra – she was simply herself.

We need to learn from her example. So often we try to be like this other great Christian guy we know, or try to get involved with all the same missions as that girl who is on fire for Jesus. We try to have conversations the way that so and so does and we try to become just like the pastor whose blog we follow – instead of just being ourselves, and letting God use the unique things he put inside of us to grow his kingdom.

I’m guessing for most of us, winning a beauty pageant won’t be the thing that we will be used for by God to grow his kingdom, but I’m guessing experiences like being an older sister will. I’m guessing that God just might use your funky sense of humor to get some work done, or your uncanny ability to make people feel special. God might use your athleticism or your nerdiness to make his Kingdom come and to do his work. The main thing is, if you are surrendered to him, if you are inviting God into making you aware of things in your life that need to be changed, then just be yourself! God made us each different, because he has a lot of work to do!

So if you are finding yourself in a spot of frustration – with how you got yourself into the wrong place at the wrong time and you are all kinds of messed up – it’s time to give it up to Jesus. Don’t wallow in your mistakes, instead, give them to Jesus and allow him to take your broken confused life and do something beautiful with it! Be yourself in Christ and wait to see what God will do! He might just make it the right place at the right time for you to do something enormous!

PRAY: Jesus, help me to keep from complaining about where I’ve been, what I’ve come from or who I am. Help me to step up and use all of who I am for your kingdom and glory! Surprise me with how you use me.