Purpose

Too good not to share. This was last Sunday’s message at Christ Fellowship (Click the link to listen). I’ve been meditating on it all week. 

As I read the notes this morning, I now know that 1 Corinthians 10:31 is my verse for 2019. My resolve for the next twelve months is that people wouldn’t see me, but the character of God in all that I do. 

That’s a bold statement to make and with it comes a lot of pressure if I attempt to do it by my own efforts and strength. However, an every moment dependence and reliance on the Holy Spirit can and will help me to glorify God. The same power is available to you. 

“In every stage of life, our purpose remains the same: glorify Christ!” 

The Ugly Twins: Fear & Failure

Christmas is almost here and I am so excited. Gift giving/recieving is my numero uno love language. I love shopping and selecting gifts for those I love. You are not the exception! I have a Christmas gift for you too. Today's post was written by my lovely friend Stephanie for you. She's no stranger to Living As A Lily, here is the link to her Thanksgiving post from 2012 that'll give you a little history: click HERE. Go make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, with lots of marshmallows, and unwrap what Stephanie and Jesus have prepared for you!

The Ugly Twins: Fear & Failure, by Stephanie Landa

I am so honored Raquel invited me to write on her blog! When she first asked, I quickly responded, “YES!” Not having any idea what to write about, I took a leap of faith and trusted God would reveal exactly what He wanted me to share on this blog. After a couple of days, I knew exactly what to write about, and so here it goes…

“You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail.” –Proverbs 19:21

Summer of 2013 was when I first found out I was going to start my career as a 1st grade teacher. I was filled with excitement but so much more with FEAR. Fear of the unknown! And so, I began my career where I almost immediately fell in love with those 1st graders. Not only were they amazing, but so was the administration and my coworkers. After a very short time (1 month and a half), I quit! Yup, I quit! (If you know me, you know I’m not a quitter)

I could only imagine what you are thinking. “This girl is crazy! What in the world happened?”

Well, within that short amount of time of teaching, I struggled so much with fear and anxiety. Endless nights of not sleeping because my mind would not shut up. I felt like I needed everything to be perfect and so rather than allowing myself to plan, do the best that I can, and “let it go” (yes, I totally quoted Frozen), I drove myself insane. (I seemed to have forecasted the rest of my life based off of one moment) I lost a great amount of weight, I disconnected myself from almost everyone, my faith in God was lost, etc. which led me all to a deep depression. My family, fiancé, and friends were all extremely concerned about me.

I remember the day that I quit. I felt like a complete failure. I felt like I lost my identity. Even now as I write this, my eyes fill up with tears because the way I felt that day and even months after, was THE hardest time of my life. Now please don’t judge me. I understand God has blessed me with SO MUCH, but at that time, I did NOT have the right perspective and was completely lost. I felt like my identity was in my career (I now know my identity is found in Christ and Christ alone; He defines me) and once I lost that, I felt a great amount of anguish.

Almost my entire life, I thought I was created to be a teacher. I had all these plans set for my life. You would think that I had already learned my lesson about FULLY trusting God and letting Him do as He pleases (you can read more about thise HERE).

Almost 6 months later, I figured it all out. I had all these plans, but God had His ultimate plan and I could not be happier. His purpose did prevail (as it always does) and I found my niche in life and that is to be a Middle School teacher. (I know, I’m crazy, but there is something so special about the middle school students) I won’t bore you with the details as to how I got to this point in my life, but its crazy how all along God had been molding me.

God is able to do “exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond all that we could ask or think.” I believe this and because I do I will trust Him, take Him at His word, keep on moving forward. I will fight fear by declaring the promises found in God's word over my life. I have learned a lot and I've shared all of this to strengthen you. I encourage you to make plans in your heart, and get moving, but give God room to direct your steps. Make plans, but keep them fluid. Don’t make them concrete! Allow God to flexibility with those plans, to move them around if needed, to line up those desires to His Word and will. A lot of us sit around waiting for direction from God, but He is waiting for you to draw near to Him. Do step out in faith! Filled with the Holy Spirit you can take gutsy risks on the desires of your heart. Get those feet moving as He leads you.

God is the keeper of your heart and will protect it. He will inspire, encourage, nurture, and breathe new life when needed. Dream big! Make plans! Get moving! He's got you!

    * Stephanie has also contributed: Let's Talk About Sex, Baby!

hello from Montana

Hey Lovelies.
This past Friday morning I jumped into a car and headed on a cross country trip to the beautiful state of Montana. I joined great friends to surprise their daughter, who is like a younger sister to me. I was her youth leader and throughout the years developed a beautiful relationship. We arrived last night around 8pm and the surprise was hilarious and sweet.

I am not a road trip kind of gal. On the contrary, 45 minutes is sufficient to make me go wild and grow anxious in a car. But I have to say, it wasn't as bad as I thought. It wasn't bad at all. We drove through Florida (obviously!), Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and finally made it to Montana. It was beautiful, though Missouri should be renamed Misery, because that's what it was, a miserable boring state to drive through. And inspire of a 4 day drive, it was pretty spectacular to see God's workmanship... anything better that the Florida flat lands!

Arriving to Montana was surreal and powerful. It truly is God's country. To see how perfectly detailed each scenery is, solidified my faith in God as Creator. He has vividly stamped His fingerprints and signature over nature. Each pine tree perfectly placed.  Mountains proudly standing higher than the clouds. Rocks upon rocks being sustained by the very breath of God. Crisp air. Calm and serene towns. Quietness that overwhelms you, and causes you to stop and listen for God. I wish I could bring you here.

This morning I have been meditating and thinking.
I don't need to ride cross country to be in quietness. I can purpose to have quiet moments throughout my day. It would have to take a sacrifice, a death of other pleasures, in order for me to be attentive to God. But cultivating a life in Christ is cultivating quietness, stillness, and purposeful discipline. I've just arrived at "God's Country" and it is proving to be God's teacher.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam    

and the mountains quake with their surging. 

There is a river whose streams 

make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells. 

God is within her, she will not fall; 

God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; 

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;  

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done, 

the desolations he has brought on the earth. 

He makes wars cease 

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; 

he burns the shields with fire.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us

 the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Enjoy the pictures from my phone (mostly taken at 80mph)

Sentence Tuesday

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. Exodus 14:14

Birthday Surprise! It's Nicole. part 2

Happy Wednesday! Welcome back to the Birthday Series to read part 2 of Nicki's journey.  Get your passport ready, pack your bag, and bon voyage ... you're off to Gulu, Uganda!

photo credit 

I've never told the bathtub story.

There was a tub. That’s all it was though—an empty beige bathtub with a handheld faucet. My first instinct was, “Damn, I’m going to make a disastrous mess every time I bathe.” I pictured a flood of murky water seeping down the hall into my room. (Which actually happened one morning, but it wasn't my fault, I swear!) Ministry in Uganda is a dirty business; dusty feet, orange-tainted clothes, wash my long hair two or three times just for it to feel clean and the water not be brown, kind of dirty.

Then, there was this one day. This overwhelming, slap-in-the-face, type of day. The kind of day where I prayed on the boda boda (motorcycle taxi) all the way home that I would have enough connection to call my mom and listen to her wisdom. With the time difference I had to wait for her to wake up, of course! It was one of those days where trusting in this great big God of mine, the Creator and Savior of the universe, was harder than getting on that same boda boda with a skirt (NOT easy, people).

It was on this day, in Gulu, Uganda. From one moment to the next, I found myself fully clothed and in fetal position, crying my eyes out for almost three hours… inside of this tub. For that brief time, my world sort of froze. I felt as though it hadn't completely shattered, but it was slightly tilted a little too far over for my comfort, and all I found myself doing was trying to find some sort of balance for my heart, to where it wouldn't topple over and break completely.

I had effectively lost my grip. Had I forgotten what to expect? Had I let my emotions run too deep? Maybe, just maybe I expected too much from someone who was unstable to begin with? How could anyone just leave them? Literally just abandon them in front of my face.

Obviously, God knew the answers to all of the million questions racing through my head.

Here’s the thing— I often wonder how my thoughts towards this world, our duties, this life— how it all would really be to me if I hadn't met Patience and Andrew. While in Uganda, I got a small glimpse into the life of being a mom. I experienced first-hand dealing with the struggles of my kids on a daily basis. I dealt with the personalities accompanied by the attitudes. I saw joy and innocence as well as the hurt and suffering that no child should ever have to experience. It was in the midst of caring for these two precious lives though, that God truly stretched me farther than I ever thought imaginable.

I dealt with their birth mother. She was younger than I with a total of six children. The twins were the youngest of them all at two years old. She was sick. They were starving, literally. And I was found in the mix because God purposefully had me there in Gulu Babies Home on this very same day. She left them there. In that moment, she chose addiction as she walked away from me with her skinny toddlers crying in my arms.

In this moment, curled up in that bathtub, for the first time ever, I actually doubted “purpose”. Has that ever happened to you? Maybe you've never found yourself sitting alone in a tub, but has God ever thrown a curve-ball to you so fast that—forget not even seeing it come—you were just left questioning “is this even real?”

Wisdom from my mom helped only for the moment. The solace provided by roommates, the same.

“God, did I really just experience this? Were these kids that I just grew to love just left behind by their own mother?”

It was in that bathtub that I realized I was trying to remind God of the things He promised to us—telling Him that He was doing it all wrong. Funny right? I didn't think so.

Firmly holding onto God’s promises in the midst of hardship can be a powerful experience. Did I fully trust God at His Word? Definitely not in that moment. I will humbly admit that I had a moment of relapse, but God graciously allowed me to stumble over myself, feel the hurt and vulnerability that He knew I needed, and give me the strength to pick myself back up and make a difference.

He knew.

He allowed the circumstances around me to take place. He didn't feel bad for me, but instead He entrusted me with the blessing of being a part of the beautiful rescue mission that was about to take place in the lives of my twins. Clearly, in my own life as well.

Please be encouraged today in knowing that God’s promises are true. We are loved by a God who is forgiveness, mercy, grace, faithfulness, strength and love. It’s a reminder I need EVERY SINGLE DAY.

And with that truth stored away in my heart, the only purpose for a bathtub from now on is solely to relax! 

Patience, Nicki, and Andrew, first time ever walking in 2 years.
Uganda 2013

Lyrical Friday - Beautiful to Me

{credit source}

Happy Friday!

I first want to wish Stephanie Landa a happy birthday. She is a faithful reader, great prayer warrior and friend. May the Lord's beauty and light continue shinning in you and through you.

As always, I must be honest with you. I had heard of Kerrie Robert but not listened to her music. Upon "youtubbing" her today I felt a bit disappointed with her lyrics, lots of words yet not much substance to them. That all changed when I stumbled upon 'Beautiful to Me' and it stirred up within me so many memories and took me back to a place of loneliness, pain and hopelessness. The greatness of this song is that it didn't just lead me down a sad memory lane, but to the promise land. The place where God took my pain and brought about beauty and wholeness.

Isaiah 43:1-2 // But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, and He who formed you: 
      Fear not, for I have redeemed you; 
      I have called you by your name; 
      You are Mine. 
      When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 
      And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. 
      When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, 
      Nor shall the flame scorch you. 


Isaiah 43:25 // I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. 


Isaiah 49:14-16 // But [your name here] has said, “The LORD has forsaken me, 
      And my Lord has forgotten me.” 
       Can a woman forget her nursing child, 
      And not have compassion on the son of her womb? 
      Surely they may forget, 
      Yet I will not forget you. 
       See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
      Your walls are continually before Me. 

Isaiah 51:3 // For the LORD will comfort Me, 
      He will comfort all My waste places; 
      He will make My wilderness like Eden, 
      And My desert like the garden of the LORD; 
      Joy and gladness will be found in it, 
      Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. 

Isaiah 54:4-12 // “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; 

      Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; 
      For you will forget the shame of your youth, 
      And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 
      For your Maker is your husband, 
      The LORD of hosts is His name; 
      And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; 
      He is called the God of the whole earth. 
      For the LORD has called you 
      Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, 
      Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” 
      Says your God. 
      “ For a mere moment I have forsaken you, 
      But with great mercies I will gather you. 
     With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; 
      But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” 
      Says the LORD, your Redeemer. 
      “ For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; 
      For as I have sworn 
      That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, 
      So have I sworn 
      That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 
      For the mountains shall depart 
      And the hills be removed, 
      But My kindness shall not depart from you, 
      Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” 
      Says the LORD, who has mercy on you. 
       “ O you afflicted one, 
      Tossed with tempest, and not comforted, 
      Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, 
      And lay your foundations with sapphires. 
      I will make your pinnacles of rubies, 
      Your gates of crystal, 
      And all your walls of precious stones."

I have suffered from a broken heart many a times. The cause that wounded me deeply were many: death of a loved one, death of dreams hoped for, death of a career, death of a friendship, death of a romantic relationship, deaths of many kinds. There was much confusion overtaking my mind and uncontrollable fears. Even my health was falling apart. My heard bled in silence, I cried and barely felt alive. Depression kicked in, held me captive and bound me with chains. But the Word of the Lord did not fail me and Isaiah became my most intimate companion. God loosened the chains, captivated me with His wonders and removed my reproach, He healed my broken heart and mended my wounds.

Beloved Sister, beloved Brother I am in tears for you. The Lord sees your pain, He knows your affliction and He cares. He is holding your broken heart, all and every single piece. If you allow Him to, in His length of time, He will heal and mend. He will restore you to wholeness. No sin is too great that God cannot forgive. I beg you to forgive your offender, even if the great offender is you. God can and will restore. 

If you have no other place to go, or can't find the strength to open your Bible, print these verses out and read them till you believe them. I know that Jesus, who personally knows pain, will comfort you. I know how hard and how terrifying a healing process can be. You don't have to do it alone. Invite Him today to be your Healer. He is gentle and loving, full of mercy and overflowing with compassion. I can attest to this great truth. He healed me and continues to do so. His promises are yes and amen, so why not hand over your burdensome pain? If you need someone to talk to or someone to pray with, contact me. 

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
      a splendid crown in the hand of God.
Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City” or “The Desolate Land.”
   Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,”
   for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride. 

Isaiah 62:3-5

My promise to you: I will not stop praying for your until your righteousness shines like the dawn, and your salvation blazes like a burning torch. Isaiah 62:1

Beautiful to Me, Kerrie Roberts


So much I don't understand
That I’d change if I wrote the story
How pain can heal and death bring life
How defeat can bring such glory
You didn't hold back one breath
You even gave Your last one
So I’d live

It's beautiful to me
Your holy mystery
I'm standing here in awe
Of how you make everything
So beautiful to me
Someday I will see
How You hold this wounded heart
And make it perfect and complete
And it's beautiful to me
Beautiful

I don't deserve Your suffering
I should be the one who's bleeding
But Your broken body gives
This broken spirit what it's needing
You reach through time with Your sacrifice
Your wounded hands holding this fragile life

This ache, this longing
This heart that I've been searching
In this moment while I'm breaking
Show me
What Your plan, Your promise
A pain that has a purpose
I let you in to use it
And just like Your hands built heaven’s hall
You’re making me so beautiful

It's beautiful to me
Every mystery
I'm standing here in awe
Of how You make everything
So beautiful to me
So perfect and complete
You hold this wounded heart
Someday I will see
And it's beautiful to me
Beautiful to me
Beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful to me
Beautiful to me

birthday surprise! It's Josie

Happy Wednesday! 

Today we approach our final birthday surprise with one of the most special women I know and am blessed to call my friend. One of my earliest memories of our friendship was her impeccable taste in clothes and my acknowledging it. Though she continues dressing lovely, it is her passionate love for Jesus and His joy alive in her that attracts people to her. She radiates His glory everywhere she goes, making Josie one of the most beautiful women I know. May you be blessed by her post today! 

-

The Great Restorer

 -

I’m excited to be writing this and a bit nervous. You see, writing takes me out of my comfort zone and into an area where I am stretched and have to completely depend on God. I’ve prayed about what I would write about. I originally had my heart set on worship, as the Lord had placed in my heart, but then it took a turn last night.

My husband loves to watch the History Channel, among other channels that I would rather not watch (Discovery, National Geographic, etc) … boring! Anyway, these channels are not my first choice. I would rather watch HGTV, but at times I have learned to enjoy those shows with him and have learned a few things along the way. We were watching a show called ‘American Restoration’. This show consist of people bring old items (dirty items that were not being used and couldn’t work any longer) to a man, an expert, that could restore them to their original beauty. As I was watching this I was thinking, “Why would anybody keep that, its old and ugly and so worn out. What’s the use?” The Lord in that moment said to my heart, “That’s what I do.”

 -

He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

This verse is true in my own life and in yours. God is the only One who can turn around a life that seems to be in the worst of situations; a life so run down by problems, unmet expectations, mistakes, and failures. Anyone looking at such a life might ask, “What’s the use of it?” But God is the Great Restorer; He can give you a crown of beauty for ashes. God can make something out of nothing. He can and He does provide in ways that only He is capable of. He can give you an abundant life. He does the impossible. He is your Creator.

The end results in the show is great, to see this expert turn something so dreadful into something so beautiful, it made everyone smile including myself. This “thing” could be used again for its original purpose and with loveliness.

You and I are precious in the eyes of Jesus, who paid it all for you and I ‐for love. He loves you and me so much that He will do what only He is best at and is able to do: turn our circumstance around, cleanse our heart from the guilt of the past, and start fresh. That is with one condition, that we submit our lives to Him, the “expert restorer”. Those things that were brought into the shop for restoration didn’t tell the expert what to do, that would have been laughable. So it is silly to tell God how He needs to change our lives. We are the ones making it worse. Each item brought into the shop required its own work. At times it took the renovator a little longer to restore one thing more than another. So it is with us. The “restoration” work of our lives is a personal one. Each of us is a unique, one of a kind, masterpiece that requires a specific chisel, drill, nail, buffer, cut, furnace, time, paint and gloss to be restored to our original God-given purpose. The end result will be a beautiful and glorious thing to see, and everyone will know that the Great Restorer has done a marvelous work in our life. It will bring a smile to those around us and most importantly to Jesus.

 -

If you feel like there is no hope or beauty in your life, I encourage you to come to Jesus. He is the only One who can restore your life to beauty and purpose that if told you, you would not believe it. He already knows the work He can do in you and through you.

-

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us...  Ephesians 3:20

Submission to God begins by trusting that God can do the impossible in our lives. Trust Him for He loves you and is waiting for you to allow His hands to restore you. I can say this confidently because He has turned my ashes into beauty. All the glory goes to Him my Lord and King!

PS: I guess it’s still about worship.

We worship God because He is worthy to praised.

When you feel down and out, worship, worship, and worship! Thank God and sing to Him and you will have a beauty that is to be reckoned with :)

10:10 made for more

Welcome Back!

Yesterday, we dug deep into John 10:10 (The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly). We looked at both the thief and the giver of life. Today we will focus on what the abundant life doesn't look like and what it does look like through the life of two women in the Bible.

As a child I wanted to be so much: Nurse, Actress, Singer, Fashion Designer, Defender and Redeemer of homeless people, Teacher, Wife, Mother, Rich, Important and well known, I wanted to be BIG.

As a teenager: Beautiful, Loved, Romanced, Desired, Cherished, Popular. People and Boys were my fuel.

As an adult: Possessions, Power, Fullfillment in relationship, Purpose.

However, in all these things there remained a void, an emptiness. And whether I accomplished one or accoplished none, one question echoed in each time: Is there more to life than this?

I grew up not in a Christian home per say. I did know who God was, and when I say I did know God, I mean I had an understanding of his existance but I didn't know God and knew nothing of him. Allow me to explain: It's like the earthquake that hit Haiti exactly a year from today. We knew of it, there was a head knowledge that we knew there was an earthquake, it was a tradegy, lives were lost, people were suffering. We knew that. Again, there was knowledge of it. Yet because we weren't there, we were unable to experience it. We have knowledge of it but because we weren't there our entire being knows nothing of it. Same goes with God. I knew God but there was no experiencing of God. There was no relationship, no evidence of an intimate walk with him.

In my teens I gave my life to Jesus. The emptiness of my soul was filled. Yet even in knowing God personally, in being a "Christian", a certain void remained- a lack of living you could say. Was there more to life for me? Was I created only to breath, blink, eat and sleep?
___________________________________________________________

A car is created to be driven.

A shirt is created to be worn.
A Pizza is created to be eaten.
A song is created to be heard.
A book is created to be read.
A life is created to be lived!

Each thing is created with a unique purpose.
Life has a purpose (to be enjoyed to the full, to the max, to overflow). Than there must be a Creator!

----> Psalm 139 (click HERE to read) is a beautiful description of Creator God and us His Creation!
> we are wonderfully made. YOU ARE WONDERFULLY MADE!!!
> We have a maker. YOU HAVE A MAKER WHO: loves you! has amazing plans for you. longs to reveal to you, your worth and value as His precious child.
> God took His time creating you
> He labored over your design and formed you uniquely out of divine love for you
> V16 says, "The days fashioned for me before there were none of them: God's plans include you and me! We were created with a purpose!

 ---->Isaiah 62:3 says, "For you shall be a crown of glory in the hand of your God, and a royal diadem in the hand of your Lord.
>When I think of royalty certain words come to mind: prestige, glory, worth, importance, purpose, meaning, position, divine calling.
>If we place our lives in the hand of God He will begin to shower the abundant blessings in our life!

 Let's take a closer look at two women, who were both given the opportunity to live an abundant life.

The remainder of this post we will be looking at the book of Esther, click HERE for it or open your Bible!  

Esther 1:1-2:4
> King was hosting a banquet and showing off all his great possessions, his greatness, power and wealth
> Fine linens, gold, silver, turquoise, marble and alabaster are among the valuables
> The king however wanted to display the most valued of all the his possessions: Queen Vashti
> *** The king was not a godly man, and this feast was a scare tactic that he was using to manupulate fear unto his guest. And might I add that He was drunk.
> Commenators disagree on their veiws of Queen Vashti's response to the King. But one thing we do read in the scripture: she was summoned but she did not go. (Matthew Henry & Warren Wiersbe are great commentators on Esther)
> A new queen needed to take her place

Esther 2:5-8
> Esther was a young jewish orphan being raised by her older cousin Mordecai
> She's taken to the the court of the king with other women
> The year beautification process consisted of being cleansed, washed, anointed with oils and

Esther 2:16-17
>Esther is chosen

 We now have two Queens to contrast and compare

***reminder, the King is not a godly man, or a spiritual leader BUT I want to bring our focus now to our perfect King: God.
>He desires to bring us out before the world and display us as his prized possession (remember we have been bought), to present us as His daughter, His princess, His Queen, His bride.
> He looks to us and says, "Though I created the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, the air that you breath, the rain that waters the crops you eat, though I have created this earth for your enjoyement You have been created in my image. I died for you and defeated death so that you can have the abundant life here and eternal life thereafter. You are the crown of my creation and I want to present you to the World.

 1. Queen Vashti had an opportunity to be displayed (in a proper setting) as the most precious being in King Xerxes' kingdom yet she refused to be displayed. She was robbed of the abundant life, her hopes were killed and her position destroyed.

>And so it is with us. God has created us for more. We have been created to live a life of purpose and meaning. Today, He desires to use your life to display and refect His glory, His salvation, His mercy, His grace and truth to a dying world.

2. Quen Esther is now chosen by the King, and though we do not read that King Xerxes summons her to display her beauty, God makes sure to display her for His.

As you continue to read the story and I highly encourage you too, we read about an evil man named Haman and his horrible plot to rob the jews of their possessions, to kill them and destroy their God. Mordecai is a wonderful picture of those godly leaders that God places in our lives to give us sound wisdom.  

Let's pick up in Esther 4:13-16

>I love how Mordecai reminds Esther, as if almost painting a picture of Queen Vashti, that if she chooses to not do this, God will send deliverance through another way.
>God doesn't lose when we disobey, we are the ones that lose.
>God desires to use our lives this specific time to accomplish a specific purpose to bring about the savation of one person or of many that He may be glorified!
>He longs to achieve His purposes through us, and not because He needs us but because He has chosen to use us.

That is the abundant life, a life with purpose.
I challenge you: Would you allow God to use you in the circle of people that you find yourself in, for such a time as this? Would you be a crown of glory in His hand? Allie Marie Smith writes in her book: The Heal Journey, "Just as you'll never discover your life's purpose apart frm God, you'll never experience an abundant life apart from Him, either.

 Queen Vashti was robbed of the abundant life because she placed the focus on herself.

 Queen Esther was able to experience the abundant life because she made God and others her focus.

The only thing we can take to heaven, is people.

 Matthew 20:28: just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

 The abundant life is a life of purpose, a life of service, a life of sacrafice, a life centered on God and others, not centered on ourselves. We have been made free from the thief and made for more!!!

 2 Timothy 2:20-22 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Ephesians 2:20 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.