NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED! By Julian Marion

Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which [is] not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

This is the age of the entrepreneur. Do you know the mark of a truly successful entrepreneur? He or she is willing to take risks. He or she is willing to be laughed at, to be scorned, to experience humiliating failure if necessary. There is no success in life without some element of risk. John Goddard, author of KAYAKS DOWN THE NILE, has been called a modern day "Indiana Jones." He has climbed the highest mountains and has swum the deepest seas. He says that some of us wait so long for our ship to come in that our pier collapses. The Apostle Paul's pier didn't collapse. His influence has extended over two thousand years of turbulent history because he knew what God wanted him to do, because he let nothing deter him and because he was willing to put his faith into immediate action. Whether he was standing before scholars, mobs, or kings, he was faithful to the high calling of God in Christ. What is it that God wants you to do? Do you know? You may be overflowing with vision for your life, but there is a point where you have to stop thinking about it and talking about it, and instead, start doing something about it - moving your vision toward a tangible reality.

In following your dream, you might have to risk ridicule or perhaps even loosing your reputation. Consider Noah for just a moment. Building the Ark was not exactly "Project Fame." Noah's project certainly gained a lot of attention; the negative sort if you know what I mean. When it comes to serving God in the unique way that He calls us to, be prepared to loose some credibility in the eyes of those around you. It's no wonder the Bible tells us that Jesus made Himself of no reputation. At first His own family did not think much of His obsession with the call of God over His life. On the other side of every miraculous intervention by God on our behalf, there is a road of faith to travel. In today's text Esther prepares to go before King Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus having divorced Vashti, chose Esther to be his wife. And during this period, Mordecai had uncovered a plot to have the Jews killed by Haman. Now having a full assessment of the gravity of the situation at hand, Esther prepares to go before the king. Her preparation involves prayer and fasting, but before leaves she makes this profound confession: "… and if I perish, I perish." Pursuing that special quest in life will always involve an element of risk. There will be some restraining factor that is challenged in the whole ordeal. Esther said what I am doing is against standard procedure. You see if Peter had to ask people in the boat for their advise with regards to walking on water, they would have provided him with the restraining factors that keeps most people in the boat of complacency. But then again, this is the very basis for any miracle—it is something that goes against the grain of modern science. By the intervention of Esther this terrible catastrophe was averted. Haman was hanged on the gallows he had intended for Mordecai and the Jews established an annual feast, the feast of Purim in memory of their wonderful deliverance.

Tragically, many never get past the thinking stage. What good is a vision when it stays stuck in your head? Or, if it languishes in the "talk stage" and never launches into the sea of faithful action? So in spite of your fears and doubts, it's time to start taking faith-steps toward seeing your vision fully formed and realised. No one's life is an unbroken chain of victories. We all experience setbacks, defeats, losses and failures. The same is true in ministry as well. We all make mistakes, even as we seek to serve God. Since failure is something every one of us will, at some time, experience, one of the most important skills you can acquire is the ability to respond to it in a godly fashion. It has been my observation that successful people know how to turn every failure into a learning experience - creating a stepping stone for future success. Have you focused in on that contribution to the world and God's kingdom that God is calling you to make? Are you willing to lay aside the pain of the past and commit yourself to today alone? Are you ready to go into immediate action? Just remember; nothing ventured, nothing gained!