I was reading in the book of Esther the other day and came across an interesting verse. It is a verse that I’ve read before, but in light of what I’ve been thinking about recently, it jumped off the page. It was after Haman had gained the right to put all the Jews to death. Mordecai was seeking Esther to attempt to save them from this decree. Esther was hesitant to approach the king when Mordecai had this message sent to her. “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. If you keep silent at this time, liberation and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:13-14).

I always believed that when it was in my power, I was always to attempt to promote justice and liberty based on other verses. When I read this verse, it provided a major affirmation of that belief. God will hold us accountable to what we did with our opportunities. When we have the ability to influence and change something, we should.

What around us could be changed if we did something? Could your private life become better with effort on your part? How about your family? Perhaps your workplace? Could you possibly change your church? Your community? Could we have a hand in changing our country? Even the government? What opportunities are around us that we are not seizing?

We need to look through Scripture to find the principles to live by. Then no matter what happens we need to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).