Purpose for Life
Good Morning,
Many times, God busily works while men have no idea what is happening. Consider the situations surrounding one's salvation or the great success of a business. So often the success seems random, but we understand that God works where and when He sees fit to invest His influence.
Such was the case while the children of Israel were in captivity, and Satan had set out to destroy the people of God. Haaman, as satanic men throughout history have done, sought to kill the Jews. Providentially, Esther had found herself in the palace of the king, although the fact that she was a Jewess had not yet been known. Mordecai asked Esther to approach the king on behalf of the Jews, but that could only be done at great risk to her life. Mordecai said the choice was hers to make, but that God would do it one way or another. Esther had an opportunity to take part in something God was going to do; the choice to be a part of His plan was hers.
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?"
Notice several truths from this passage:
First, the choice to speak up or not is ours to make. "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time..." This may pertain to winning a soul, to giving a word of praise and encouragement, or perhaps to teaching a class at church. Specific times will arise when the opportunity to be involved in the work of God will be made available to us.
Second, God will get His work done one way or another: "...then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place..."
God has plans to accomplish, and He will find a way to make it happen. God will accomplish His plans – with or without us. I am not saying everything will turn out great if we fail to do our duty. The children God gave to us will not turn out the same if we do not do our scriptural duty. A married couple who does not follow God’s plan will not have the same marriage as a couple who treats each other in a biblical manner. Missionaries will not have the same provision they might have had if we do not give financially. In all of these situations, God will help folks survive, and somehow, they will get along, but the outcome will not be as it could have been. Life will be more difficult. Struggles will be greater and trials will be more fierce. God will find a "Plan B," and folks will continue to go on through life; the solution will just have to come from somewhere else.
Third, if we do not jump in and do what God has led us to do, we will lose. "...but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed..." We do not know all that would have happened if Esther had not pleaded for her people, but it appears that her family would have suffered for her failure.
One night, as I walked into a hotel, I noticed the worker at the desk. No one else was in the lobby, and the hour was late so the work was slow. I said, "Hi," and walked toward my room. The Lord nudged me to give him a tract, yet I continued to walk – then I stopped myself. The choice was mine. God will save folks who are seeking, but I could miss the opportunity to be a part of the wonderful works of God. Missing this opportunity would not only have been important to the man but to me as well. I turned around, pulled out a tract, and went through the Gospel with him. As it turned out, he was a faithful member of a church and had already trusted Christ. He thanked me, and I went toward my room, very much at ease; I had a far different peace than I would have had if I had ignored the Spirit's leading. The choice was mine, and God would have accomplished His plans without me – but I would have lost out on a blessing, not the man at the counter.
Lastly, there was a reason I was there and that someone else was not in the room at that time; God had placed me in a position to influence this young man. Just because he was already saved does not mean our conversation was not significant; and by those words, I was a part of the most wonderful work on earth, the Gospel ministry.
Esther 4:14 “...who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Mother, those children will grow up with or without a Bible-reading mom, but life will be easier and more honoring to God if you walk with God. Fewer sorrows will occur and God will receive much more glory from the situation that is lived properly. The choice is yours; you will miss out on being a grateful participant in the eternal work of God in the hearts of eternal souls. Dad, you can be the father who sits in church with his family and who teaches them the importance of loving God, the Bible, and the house of God; or you can be a half-hearted participant in the Christian life. If those children care, God will find a way to get His work done – you will just miss your opportunity to be a part of something spectacular and eternal. In the long run, you will suffer loss for your failure to perform the duties God outlined in the Scriptures. Whether it be a Sunday school class or a voice in the choir, God has you on this earth for a specific purpose that He designed specifically for you to perform, and no one can fill the need like you can.
Giving to your church will help you more than it will help the church. Supporting missionaries financially will help the giver more than the recipient. We have the opportunity to be a part of the work of God; we have been invited to partake in heavenly plans, and we will be eternally rewarded for serving the Master and His ministry. I am on earth for a reason. I have my background, my physical and emotional makeup, and my education for a reason – for "Such a time as this."
If we quit church and go back to the old life, God will find a way to continue His ministry, but we will "suffer loss." (1 Corinthians 3:15) We may sit in church doing nothing, knowing we can participate in bus work or rest homes or Sunday school classes – the choice is ours. God will get His work done one way or another, but we will suffer the loss. No one is more perfectly fitted for the job God designed for us than we are. Each one of us is exactly what God needed for a specific situation. For a time, I was directing our choir, and I loved it. Although I was probably not the one God had specifically trained for the job, I think I was a willing substitute.
Those who fail to accomplish the specific duty God designed for them, of necessity, are doing something other than what God had planned. Perhaps they or their families will suffer for their activity in that which was out of the eternal plan of God. If I am not where I am supposed to be, I am obviously where I should not be.
Some people may feel a certain path wrong because it is difficult, but how difficult was the path Esther traveled? Loss of a family, loss of a nation, and married to a heathen king – but, she was there "for such a time as this." Now, she is recorded in the eternal Bible to encourage all of us to perform our duties to God and men.
How much better might my life or yours have been had choices been made for God and eternity rather than convenience and money? John warns about some who will be ashamed at the appearing of Christ:
1 John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."
May we be prayerful, careful, diligent, and spiritual in all the things we do and do not do. "That no man take thy crown." (Revelation 3:11)
Pastor