Individual Impact
Daily Old Testament Reading: Esther 7-10
Daily Focus Passage: Esther 8
Queen Esther impacted the Jewish people. Her obedience to God's leading affected those around her, even those she may have never met. Esther, allowing herself to be used by God, sets an example for us to recognize that we, too, can be used by the Lord as an individual to impact many people's lives. To be an individual who makes a lasting impact, we must trust the leading of the Lord, seek to be used by God, and focus on serving God's Kingdom.
TRUST THE LEADING OF THE LORD
Esther navigated life by trusting the leading of the Lord in her life. She lived with boldness and faithfulness because of this trust in the Lord. He served as the foundation and the source of Esther's strength to live in faithfulness while facing the pressures of this world. Esther trusted the Lord's leading for her life even when the leading seemed counter to the world's ways. When we trust the leading of the Lord, we must recognize and follow him as we seek to live in faithfulness and make an impact for his kingdom.
SEEK TO BE USED BY GOD
Esther submitted herself to be used by the Lord. Her submission to the ways of the Lord influenced her to seek to be used by the Lord. Esther did not serve for selfish gain; instead, she lived with a servant's heart with others on her mind. She sought to please the Lord and be used by him to influence the lives of those around her. She desired to influence the king's life to rescue her people and influence the people of Isreal's life by being used by the Lord. When we seek to be used by the Lord, we do not serve for selfish gain; instead, we serve to impact the lives of others. We learn to trust the leading of the Lord in our lives so that we can seek to be used by the Lord.
FOCUS ON SERVING GOD'S KINGDOM
Esther's service to the Lord served as an act of worship that centered on glorifying the Lord. Esther wanted her life to reflect the nature and goodness of the Lord. She accomplished this task by setting her vision on serving the Kingdom of God. She did not attempt to build or expand her kingdom; instead, she focused on serving the Lord and working in his kingdom. Today, believers must seek to serve the Kingdom of God. Churches must strive to build God's kingdom and not their kingdom. When we consider the life of Queen Esther, we must learn to trust the leading of the Lord to be used by him so that we can focus on serving his kingdom alone.
