God is the master of the great reversal. He chose a nobody, Abraham, to become Father of a great nation. A betrayed brother called out of his prison cell became Prime Minister of Egypt. The Son of God threw off the pall of death to defeat Satan and made reconciliation with God possible for all who choose Jesus. Esther is such a special story because it reminds us that God is at work in the background. He hasn’t given up on His people. Even though they’re in exile and even in a story where his name isn’t mentioned, He’s still orchestrating the great reversal.

Esther lived in two worlds and had a terrifying choice to make. Would she choose to risk her life to identify with God’s people, or would she choose to capitulate to the pressures of the Persian royal court? While Esther’s action was significant, even more so was God’s action behind the scenes. At the very moment of Esther’s choice, God was already at work, fulfilling His covenantal promises to His people. The story of Esther shows us that God is actively present, even when He seems most conspicuously absent.

The most difficult question you will ever answer is the question of identity. Who am I? Once that question is settled the other decision you face in life become clearer. Even when life treats you unjustly you will be able to sense God’s providence, choosing your time, place, and circumstances for His specific purpose. A clear identity enables you to choose how you will respond even when you’re not sure why you’re where you are.

Xerxes had power and wealth; Esther had beauty; Mordecai had wisdom. Each of us have some privilege gifted from God. What will we do with it? That is the question each of us must ask when acknowledging our individual privilege. Will you use the privilege God has provided for selfish purposes, or will you use them for some higher purpose?

South Lansing Christian Church begins a new chapter in our faith story next week when we add a second Sunday morning worship gathering. There are a lot of reasons why we're doing so, but none more important than this: "The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost."

In his letter to the churches in Galatia Paul explains the mutual accountability we have to each other in the church and the personal responsibility we each have for carrying our own load. We are called to "do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:10). The church of Jesus Christ is a community of believers in which it's about we, not me.

Paul’s closing words encourage the Ephesians to fight. In the midst of spiritual warfare it’s easy to forget you belong to Christ. It’s easy to think you’re alone, forgetting the brothers and sisters who surround you. Paul urges the Ephesians to arm themselves for the conflict, to bear those “arms” together. Because they are not alone. They are all one.

Your Christian identity doesn’t just change how you relate to God and the people in His family; it changes how you relate to the people in your family. Paul explains how “light living” looks in a household that is based on mutually submitting to each other. Husbands, wives, children, parents, servants and masters act differently when they are following Jesus.

Your Christian identity doesn’t just change how you relate to God and the people in His family; it changes how you relate to the people in your family. Paul explains how “light living” looks in a household that is based on mutually submitting to each other. Husbands, wives, children, parents, servants and masters act differently when they are following Jesus.

The difference between the way you lived before you became a Christian and the way you live after becoming a Christian is the same as dark and light. Followers of Jesus do more than identify with Jesus, they become like him. It isn’t just their identity that changes, but their behavior. Identity impacts actions.