Expendable For God

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS; BE EXPENDABLE FOR GOD!

Ester 4:12-14

If you are to fulfill the purpose of God for your lives in a very critical hour, you can get the lessons from the life of Esther, the woman who dares to risk everything for God.

Est 4:12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai,

Est 4:13 he sent back this answer: Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.

Est 4:14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?

The account of Esther begins in 483 B.C. some 37 years before Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls.

Series of bad and discouraging incidents happened in the life of Esther

1. Esther live during the time that her country has been captured Babylonians and later Medo-Persians

2. All of Esther’s immediate family died and she became an orphan – Mordecai, his godly relative raised her as his own daughter.

3. Women is not important equally as men in the kingdom of Medo-Persian

4. Esther is still single and there is no husband to take care of her

5. The queen has just aggravated the currently low standard of women’s right by disobeying the king and later caused her royal crown.

6. There is a political unrest as the secret assassination is being conspired to kill the king

We usually have many regrets and complaints in life. If we are in Esther’s shoes, we may be complaining for lots of things.

• Why God make me as a Jewish minority instead of Persian

• Why should I become an adopted orphan?

• Why should I become a single woman instead of man?

• Why should I become poor girl wandering in a foreign land?

I. There is no accident in God. He has a purpose for every details of your life.

TRUST GOD’S PLAN!

Est 2:7 Mordecai had raised Hadassah, also known as Esther, his uncle’s daughter, because she was an orphan. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter.

Often times, we question the wisdom of God because of bad situations, discouraging incidents, frailties and inadequacies. Let us consider some possible situations if God allowed things the way we like them to appear.

• If Queen Vasthi did not displease the king, there will be no need for another queen

• If Ester happened to be man, then he of course cannot be qualified for the Persian beauty contest (Note: there is no gay contest during that time)

• If She is not an orphan, Mordecai may not adopted her as his own daughter and raised her according to God’s law

• If Esther had been a married man, she wouldn’t have become queen.

• And if Esther hadn’t been a minority, she wouldn’t have cared about the Jews and what was going to happen to them.

• If the 2 eunuchs did not plot against the king, Mordecai will have not chance to save the king and eventually became hero and be promoted as prime minister.

Sometimes what looks like a disaster in your life is part of a much bigger plan of God. But you will never fulfill your destiny if you are having a pity party.

Esther could have just said, “if only I wasn’t Jewish, if only I was like someone else." A lot of people do that. They live their lives in resentment, always looking at people and saying, "Well it must be nice to be them."

Remember this; your big limitations make you perfect for the role God wanted you to fulfill. Do not forget the lesson number one; there is no accident in God. He has a purpose for every details of your life.

II. Loyalty to God invites anger from the enemy’s side but it is always safe and best to be faithful to God.

KEEP YOUR LOYALTY TO GOD!

Est 3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage.

Est 3:6 So he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Since he had learned that Mordecai was a Jew, he decided to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.

The chronology of events:

1. Haman is made the king’s favorite (Est_3:1).

2. Mordecai refuses to give him the honor he demands (Est_3:2-4).

3. Haman, for his sake, vows to be revenged upon all the Jews (Est_3:5, Est_3:6).