Speaker: Ben Sigman

Theme: Fear

Weekend Music links on iTunes: All Over the World - Matt Redman, Holding Nothing Back - Jesus Culture, Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin, Hosanna - Hillsong

Read:  Esther 7:1-10

Think:   My job title happens to be Risk Manager.  My team tries to predict the financial performance of our customers, and decide what loans are good risks for our company to take.  I think in terms of risk all the time.  So, when Pastor Ben encouraged us to ‘Take the Risk’ as a way of growing through fear, I listened with the ear of a ‘risk professional’.

What I realized is that the Bible is filled with stories of people taking enormous risks.  The scope of many of these risks is hard to comprehend.  Some seem downright crazy.  For example:

Noah invests about 100 years of his life building an ark.

Abraham – apparently rich and content – leaves his home at age 75 for an unknown land.

Moses goes before Pharaoh to demand the release of his people.

Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a ‘duel’ at Mt. Carmel.

Jonathan takes one man with him to fight a Philistine army.

Stephen stands before the Sanhedrin and proclaims the gospel.

The background for today’s Bible reading is that the king has given authority to Haman to eliminate Jews from the Persian Empire.  By acknowledging her own Jewish ancestry, Esther is risking her life by asking that her people spared.  Yet she takes that risk.

By comparison, the risks we’re asked to take for God’s kingdom are usually pretty small.  If our fears are realized, we might be embarrassed or uncomfortable, a relationship might be strained, or we could be out a little money.  But even if the risks we are challenged to take seem small, they are important.  By taking the right risks, we learn to rely on God and to make His priorities our own, and we experience His presence in a powerful way. 

Do:  Take a small risk on God’s behalf.  Maybe reach out to reconcile with someone.  Offer support for a sick or grieving friend even though you don’t know how.  Invite someone to church.

Pray:  God, I’ve been stung by taking risks before, but maybe I wasn’t taking the right risks.  Show me a place to stick my neck out for You, and give me the strength to do it.  I want to partner with You, and I’m willing to take some risk to do it.  Amen.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

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