Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law – to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.”

When we consider Esther’s words, we can get angry with her. Her people were about to be wiped off the face of the earth, but she was afraid to try to stop it – doing so would endanger her life. Yet are we so different?

Countless times in our lives, God will put us in a place of favour with man. Perhaps, like Esther, we will be desirable for our attributes; perhaps an employer likes our honesty, or a teacher appreciates our work ethic? Maybe we have a vehicle that attracts other collectors, and suddenly we’re flooded with friends!

Eventually, we will look out our palace window, and to our dismay, see our kinsmen being abused. Christians are being mocked, persecuted, and falsely accused. Worst of all, their persecutors are the ones who think highly of us! And when these Christ-haters come to us, we are ever quick to put on our disguise that ensures our safety. We don’t want to suffer!

Here, we must listen to Mordecai. Don’t think that because of your status, you can be omitted from the sufferings of Christians! 2 Timothy 3:12 says, Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Therefore, when we are quite comfortable living with sinners, we must look at ourselves: Are we really standing up for Christ? It is so easy to side with the ones in power, but it takes grace and courage to suffer for Christ.

However, do not be discouraged! In Philippians 1:29, Paul says, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” The right to suffer for Christ was not seen as a burden, but actually a gift that had been “granted” to them.

“We rejoice in our sufferings…” Romans 5:3        “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings…” 1 Peter 4:13

Let us not be afraid to associate with sinners. But when our favour increases, and we see that this actually allows us to avoid suffering, we must choose Christ over comfort. Then we may be like Moses: By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. (Hebews 11:24-25)

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.