Monday, October 22, 2018

 

Famed British theologian CS Lewis once said: “Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief.” The Christian faith throughout history, has always been established by men and women whose beliefs were confirmed, not by their theologies, but by how much they were willing to risk and sacrifice for what they believed. The greater the risk and the sacrifice, the more convincing their faith was. From Abraham, the Father of Faith, to modern day men and women of God, their faith has always been proven by the risks and the sacrifices they were willing to make for the sake of what they believed.

 

“Though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” – Esther 4:16 NLT

 

For men and women alike, Esther is symbolic of a person of heroic faith. Is this because of what she believed, or because of what she did with what she believed? Esther believed that the Hebrew people were chosen by God to reflect His glory among the nations of the world. The problem was that their existence was being threatened by the Persian Empire. Esther however, was in a unique position, she was the Queen of Persia and as such she could intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. There was another problem, if she were to plead their case she could potentially lose her position as Queen and she might also have to sacrifice her own life. Esther chose the risk and made the sacrifice and God subsequently honored her faith. Esther is symbolic of heroic faith because of the risks and sacrifices she was willing to take for what she believed and not simply because of what she believed.

 

When for us, the biggest sacrifice and risk is to publicly confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior and attend church for two hours on Sunday, something has gone terribly wrong. Someone once said, “don’t tell me about your faith, show me your faith”. The sad reality today for most leaders, is the difficulty in finding ways to convince volunteers in the local church to enlist and serve. Again, something has gone terribly wrong when in most Christian organizations, people attend primarily to to be blessed and not to be a blessing to others by living out their faith.

 

To walk in Esther’s shoes, it to be willing to risk and sacrifice even your life if necessary, for the sake of what you believe.