God Opportunities to Move You – The Adventure of You
Last weekend, Lead Pastor Ben Snyder wrapped up our series The Adventure of You by unpacking the story of Esther. The crucial word in the title is YOU.
You are given opportunities from God to move you toward what moves him. However, these opportunities are not all about you. Rather, they put into perspective what really matters. Ben tells us that we are here on purpose for a purpose. Once we realize that, we are able to move toward what really matters—what matters to God.
What do you think will be important 100 years from now? It won’t be all the stuff we have accumulated on earth; it will be our relationship with God and our relationships with all the people God has put around us. We are given God opportunities to make an eternal difference in people, just like Esther did.
Esther 7:2-3
2 … the king again said to Esher, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!” 3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared.”
This was not a simple request for Esther to make of the king. Esther could have lost her life since the king had not requested her presence. Esther accepted a God opportunity that set off a chain of events that would make heaven more full. Events that wouldn’t resume until 30 years later when a cupbearer named Nehemiah was given the opportunity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem to where a priest delivered a message whereas people returned to Israel and established their country again. About 400 years later, Jesus was born in a town called Bethlehem, lived a perfect life, and then sacrificed himself for our sins, which made it possible for the whole world to be saved. None of this would have happened had Esther not accepted God’s adventure for her life and saved her people.
WOW! It is realistic to say that Esther had no clue her act of courage with King Xerxes would produce so many crowns in God’s Kingdom.
1 Thessalonians 2:19 (emphasis added)
After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is YOU!
Questions:
What God opportunity have you been invited to step into today? Are you willing to accept the invitation?
Are you using your life to make heaven more full? If not, say yes to a God opportunity and see what happens.
Next Steps:
Consider reading Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life. This book has topped charts, sold millions of copies, and been translated into 85 languages. I highly recommend it!
Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for giving us the God opportunities that move us closer to what moves you. Open our eyes so we may see these opportunities, and grant us the courage to live them out. Make us a movement of people that seek kingdom crowns. In your Son’s holy name, amen.
This post was written by Jennifer Macke. Jenn has a son, daughter, granddaughter, and grandson, and she thanks God every day for them. She is enjoying retirement and feels blessed to be writing for LivingItOut. She was raised in an Evangelical Church, but her spiritual life awakened when she started attending CedarCreek.
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