For Such A Time As This

As far as I know, this phrase was first used when Esther was queen of Persia, by being the wife of Ahasuerus, king of the Persian empire. She was queen when Ahasuerus decreed that all the Hebrews be destroyed and the Jewish people be killed at the urging of Haman. Esther's uncle, Mordecai spoke to her and told her that she had been chosen by God to be queen of the Persian empire for such a time as this so that she could save the Jews from extermination.

Since that time, anyone called of God to accomplish a certain task at a certain time has used the phrase, for such a time as this. And in the days that we are living in, there are many who have been appointed "for such a time as this." Appointed and anointed to share the grace and mercy of Almighty God, to share the good news of Jesus Christ, who lived, died and was resurrected so that we might have eternal life, spending eternity with God.

I believe I was born so that I could share that grace and mercy that I have received and to tell everyone I meet that Jesus is alive and well and that He is still rolling stones away from tombs, setting captives free, giving sight and hearing to the blind and deaf. Healing the sick and restoring hope in the hearts and souls of all who call on His name and repent of their sins. His love is all around us, if we'll just allow ourselves to feel it.

But, at this point in history, our people are at odds with one another. We're allowing our differences to create hate and enmity within our hearts and souls. If we don't agree with someone's point of view we classify them as our enemy and we seek to hurt or destroy them. There are no scriptures in the Bible that tell us that these things are justified or right. There are, however, scriptures that tell us these things are unacceptable to God. Jesus came to teach us how to live, and all we have to do is follow His example. Jesus never accused anyone for their sin! He never fought with those who didn't believe. When He traveled to Nazareth, His very own people refused to see Him as He truly was, so He departed that region. He didn't declare war on them and try to destroy them, He merely turned around and left them where they were.

Jesus never got into anyone's face and screamed that they should follow Him; He merely went where people could listen to His teachings. If they attended that was great. If they didn't, that was fine, too. Jesus never tried to change the rule of law that governed Israel and Judea. He obeyed the law, but He still did what He needed to do in teaching the people that He was the Messiah and that God loved them. Even the woman at the well was not treated with anything other than love and respect. And she had been married so many times and was living with a man who was not her husband. But Jesus didn't tell her she was a harlot, adulteress, sinner or anything of that nature. He simply invited her to drink of the living water that He provides and told her to go and sin no more. Even though He knew that she could not live her life without commiting sin. The command to go and sin no more is not given in the spirit that we will never make a mistake, it's given so that we strive to live our lives without sin.

For such a time as this, I was called by God to bring His message of love, hope, grace and mercy to the people that I can reach. And that's what I try to do each and every day. I don't always hit the mark, but I still keep trying. I still keep telling every one I can that Jesus loves them so much that He died the most horrifying death imaginable so that every one who accepts Him as Lord and Savior can find peace, love, grace and mercy. Eternal life with God is a bonus! Nothing we can do would ever earn us salvation. We aren't told to clean ourselves up and do things to pay for our salvation. We were saved by grace through the mercy of God. Our works are not done to earn anything; they're done to show others what God can do and to fulfill the command of Jesus to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the widows, to house the homeless and to share the Love, Grace and Mercy that we have received from God. If you see someone thirsty, give them a drink. If you see someone hurting, offer solace and hope.

Stop the hatred; stop the shouting; stop the belligerence; stop the enmity! Humble yourself and allow Holy Spirit to guide you and counsel you. I know it's not the easiest thing to do, but it is worth the effort to do so. The result will be peace beyond understanding and joy that can't be spoken. And love like you've never known.