Esther 4:14, “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
How important is it for us to realize the importance of our individual discipleship and to understand how many people we will affect by the life that we live and choices we make. In the verse cited, Mordecai understood that by the promises of God concerning the coming Messiah, the Jewish nation could not be destroyed. If the Jews were destroyed by the wicked efforts of Haman the Amalekite, then how would God’s Son come into this world, who would be called the Seed of Abraham and Son of David (Galatians 3:16, Luke 1:32-33)? But even with that understanding, Mordecai knew that the promise of God did not reduce his or Esther’s responsibility concerning the trouble that was at hand. Mordecai basically said to Esther, “If you hold your peace, God will still keep His promise, but you and I have a responsibility if we are to help those close to us and you are in a place to help.”
With that understanding, I would like for us to consider the Lord’s Church. The Bible teaches us in Matthew 16:18 that Jesus built His Church and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” By this text alone, we understand that the Lord’s Church will be somewhere on this earth when He returns in the clouds to take His children home to heaven. And, even though our actions will not change the promise of God, we all have a responsibility to serve God in the Church. All too often, I speak with people that think the Church will be fine if they are there or not. But, they are not considering their responsibility or the effect that they could have on those around them every day. I know the promise of God cannot fail and, yes, the Church will stand to see Jesus in the clouds, but I want there to be a place here in Union County North Carolina for my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. to worship Jesus Christ our Lord in Spirit and in Truth. With that thought in mind, let us:
(1) Put God and His Church first in every action of our lives. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Also in Luke 14:26, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” This text is teaching us that we should love Jesus more than anything and that nothing should get in our way of serving Him.
(2) Give God glory with every breath of our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
(3) Keep His commandments every day of our lives. Jesus, in John 14:23 says, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
(4) Seek for ways we may serve His people in this world all the days of our lives. In Hebrews 6:10 we learn that our service to God can be seen in our service to His people.
(5) Consider the gravity of the opportunity that we have in the service of God. Because. “who knoweth”, if God hath blessed YOU and I that we might make a difference in “such a time as this”. Amen!