Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for this daily challenge. It’s Thursday, the day we try to apply and live out what we’ve learned this week from the Bible. This week we’ve been studying the story of Esther, a Jewish woman made Babylonian Queen, who intervened to save her people.

We’ve already seen the parallels between her story and Jesus’ story – she was meant to teach the Jewish people something about God’s salvation through royal intervention, so when Jesus did it, they’d see and understand.

I’ve had a couple experiences where I’ve come across someone needing medical help – I was in the right place at the right time, and with first responder and paramedic experience, knew how I could help.

Nothing compared to the story of Kent Brantly, a Christian medical doctor living in Africa since 2013.  In 2014, the Ebola outbreak began, and he stepped up to begin treating Ebola patients, even though he was putting his own health and life in danger.  He was there, he was trained, and he was there because of Jesus’ call to serve those in need, not to serve himself.

In the end, he contracted Ebola, and after medical care in the US, survived.  He intervened, as a Christian, standing in harm’s way so others didn’t need to die.

It’s clear he was there for such a time as this, and sees that himself.  He said, “When I thank God for saving my life, I am not unique in that. If you watch videos of survivors in Liberia, so many of them thank God for saving their lives. I chose a career in medicine because I wanted a tangible skill with which to serve people. And so my role as a physician is my attempt to do that. I’ll probably get tired of talking about my experience some day, but I went to Liberia because I long felt it was my vocation to spend my career as medical missionary. Deep in the core of my heart, I still think that’s my calling. I don’t want to go on with life and forget this.” http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-ebola-doctors/

You may not be a medical doctor, or placed in a country with major health needs, or about to experience an outbreak.  But you are surrounded by people in danger, people in need.  God has given you skills or gifts, resources, and even just time, that could make all the difference for others.

Will you answer, when God calls you to do something risky but incredibly impactful?

Will you use your money to really make a difference in someone’s life?  Every dollar given to this ministry is doing that.

Will you use your time to meet people in need, listen, and help?

Will you stand up and speak out against violence?  Rigth now, Christians are speaking out against missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada, racial violence in the US, ISIS and more.  This is great, but there are also Esthers, those who step into harm’s way in order to save others.

Esther showed us this, so we would see it in Jesus, and so we could follow Jesus into this same life of sacrificial intervention.

Challenge: Where has God put you in life, and why do you think he put you there for “such a time as this?”  What difference can you make, that no one else can?  What’s holding you back?