Training For Impact

In a marvelous manner God wrought in behalf of His penitent people; and a counter-decree issued by the king, allowing them to fight for their lives, was rapidly communicated to every part of the realm by mounted couriers who were “hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment.” “And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” Esther 8:14, 17.—RH, January 23, 1908. DG 47.1

Esther 8:1,2 - On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her. And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Esther 7:3,4 - Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

Esther 5:2 - And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.

Esther 4:16 - Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

1 Samuel 2:8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

Through Esther the queen, the Lord accomplished a mighty deliverance for His people. At a time when it seemed that no power could save them, Esther and the women associated with her, by fasting and prayer and prompt action, met the issue, and brought salvation to their people.—Special Testimonies, Series B 15:1, 2 (1911). DG 45.3

*THE FOOTPRINTS OF ABRAHAM* DAY 7: *Key Text* Gen. 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. *Lesson:* Many profess to be on the Lord's side, but they are not; the weight of all their actions is on Satan's side. By what means shall we determine whose side we are on? Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Upon whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are on the Lord's side, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. We have no friendship with the world; we have consecrated all that we have and are to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His Spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things. CCh 185.2

*THE FOOTPRINTS OF ABRAHAM* DAY 5: *Key Text* Gen. 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. *Lesson:* A well-ordered Christian household is a powerful argument in favor of the reality of the Christian religion—an argument that the infidel cannot gainsay. All can see that there is an influence at work in the family that affects the children, and that the God of Abraham is with them.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 144. MYP 325.3

*THE FOOTPRINTS OF ABRAHAM* DAY 4: *Key Text* Gen. 13:8,9 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. *Lesson:* The cultivation of a uniform courtesy, a willingness to do to others as we would wish them to do to us, would annihilate half the ills of life. The spirit of self-aggrandizement is the spirit of Satan; but the heart in which the love of Christ is cherished, will possess that charity which seeketh not her own. Such will heed the divine injunction, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Philippians 2:4. PP 132.3

*THE FOOTPRINTS OF ABRAHAM* DAY 3: *Key Text* Gen. 12:12,13 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. *Lesson:* If you see your sinfulness, do not wait to make yourself better. How many there are who think they are not good enough to come to Christ. Do you expect to become better through your own efforts? “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jeremiah 13:23. There is help for us only in God. We must not wait for stronger persuasions, for better opportunities, or for holier tempers. We can do nothing of ourselves. We must come to Christ just as we are. SC 31.1

*THE FOOTPRINTS OF ABRAHAM* DAY 2: *Key Text* Gen. 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. *Lesson:* God permits trials to assail His people, that by their constancy and obedience they themselves may be spiritually enriched, and that their example may be a source of strength to others. “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil.” Jeremiah 29:11. The very trials that task our faith most severely and make it seem that God has forsaken us, are to lead us closer to Christ, that we may lay all our burdens at His feet and experience the peace which He will give us in exchange. PP 129.2

*THE FOOTPRINTS OF ABRAHAM* DAY 1: *Key Text* Gen. 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed *Lesson:* In order that the work may go forward in all its branches, God calls for youthful vigor, zeal, and courage. He has chosen the youth to aid in the advancement of His cause. To plan with clear mind and execute with courageous hand demands fresh, uncrippled energies. Young men and women are invited to give God the strength of their youth, that through the exercise of their powers, through keen thought and vigorous action, they may bring glory to Him and salvation to their fellow-men. (Gospel Workers, 67.) MYP 20.1

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. - Acts 13:47 No sooner is one converted than there is born within him a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus. The saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. - The Desire of Ages, p. 141

When we know something to be the truth, we should not allow other people to change our minds. At times, the truth may sound impossible but that does not take away from its truthfulness. Jesus told us that He is the truth; therefore, we know our faith is real. Some may mock us for it or call us crazy, but their criticism should not stop us from talking about the truth. We must be persistent in sharing our faith and telling others what we know to be real. Psalm 83:16 says fill their faces with shame and disgrace that they may persistently seek your name, O lord.

The lesson is -- trust your experience with Gods word, let them be a lamp unto your feet and a light to direct your path, whatever people may have to say against it. If you have found that Jesus Christ can help you, and has loved you, and that your sins have been forgiven, because you have trusted in Him, do not let anybody laugh or talk you out of that conviction. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says thus says the Lord, let not the one who is wise and skillful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mighty and powerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his (temporal satisfactions and earthly ) abundance; but let the one who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me 9and acknowledges me and honours me as God and recognizes without any doubt) that I am the LORD who practices lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight, says the LORD

I love how a bible commentary puts it - It is dangerous to obey feeling, unless its decrees are countersigned by calm common sense illuminated by Scripture. Sorrow is apt to obscure duty by its darkness, and joy to do so by its dazzle. It is hard to see the road at midnight, or at midday when the sun is in our eyes. Both need to be controlled. Duty remains the same, whether my heart is beating like a sledge-hammer, or whether 'my bosom's lord sits lightly on its throne.' Remembering 2chor. 5:7 we walk by faith, not by sight

As some bible expositor puts it - The smallest, commonest acts of daily life are truer worship than is rapt and solitary communion or united prayer, if the latter can only be secured by the neglect of the former. Better to be in the lower parts of the house attending to the humble duties of the slave than to be in the upper chamber, uniting with the saints in supplication and leaving tasks unperformed. .. In the execution of duties, Paul admonishes Christian workers in Ephesians 6:5-8 be obedient to those who are your superiors with fear and trembling and with humility of heart as unto Christ; not with eye service, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will doing service as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether is a slave or a free born.

Paul tells us in Romans 10:14 (ESV), And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? imagine if Rhoda had just kept quiet, remained faithful to her duties as a slave and never shared the news of Peters return, we definitely would be reading a different new testament today! Jesus said, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37). Are you going to be a laborer for Christ, someone willing to take a step of faith and love to share the message of the gospel through voice, pen, character and love?

It is not earthly rank, nor birth, nor nationality, nor religious privilege, which proves that we are members of the family of God; it is love, a love that embraces all humanity.” ― Ellen G. White The bible says in Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus… while the world ranks men by their net worth or followers, God searches the heart and accepts all those who truly seeks Him with all their hearts, just like the lovely rose of a young lady named Rose, it doesnt matter how the world views you. The God of heaven calls you His child, the apple of His very eyes.