The Foundation.

 

In all aspects of Esther’s life, she made it very evident that she was, in fact, a genuine Christian. Esther showed this through her righteous praying, responding to the Will of God, and having faith that passes all tests or trials. In the life of a true believer, there has to be a natural progression. By reading their Bibles and having a consistent prayer life, Christians develop a healthy spiritual condition. This then leads to a strong morality, which gives them a strong sense of right and wrong and the ability to perceive God’s will for their lives. This morality leads to Christ-like behavior and consequently, good works and a faith strong enough to withstand the storms of life. All of these aspects tied together will create the necessary foundation for a happy Christian life, one which was enjoyed by Esther Ahn Kim.

“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” James 5:14-15

Reponding to God’s Will is another evidence of genuine saving faith in the book of James. James teaches that in order to be a true Christian and posses genuine saving faith, we must have a heart that is yearning to follow the Will of God . Scripture gives many mark of a true Christian, such as love for God, patience, repentence from sin, devotion to God’s glory, and humility, but nothing more clearly summarizes the character of a genuine believer than a burning desire to do God’s Will.

Esther Ahn Kim had that desire within her to bring glory to God through following his almight and soverign Will, showing her genuine saving.  In considering the life of Esther Ahn Kim, her life shows many aspects in which she was committed to the will of God. There are many examples in which her life took her in directions, which did not correspond with the desires of her heart. She knew that she was no longer in control of her life but rather that God was and therefore, she chose to follow the will of God, trusting and relying on Him to lead her in the right direction.

God's Will.

“You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” James 2:24

Throughout the book of James, he compares different types of faith – living faith with dead faith, saving faith with non-saving faith… etc. But he continues his explanation by giving real life illustrations: Abraham and Rahab. They were supremely committed to the Lord, whatever the cost. Esther Ahn Kim could also be considered a real life example of how faith and good works go hand in hand.

Equal to Christ.

Esther makes her living faith very apperent through her good works and kindness towards many people she encounters in her Christian journey. Although many of the individuals she witnessed to were not opened to the Word, that did not hinder her perseverance.  She had a life-changing encounter with a lady that was looked down upon and thought to be crazy by everyone. This women was picked on, ridiculed and Esther was the only person that showed her love, taking into consideration that everyone is equal in Christ’s eyes. Therefore, should be treated as such.

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:8

James emphasizes that if a person’s faith is genuine, it will prove itself in times of difficulty.  The clear message of Scripture is that trials are a tool of our loving God. Christ uses trials to help strengthen our faith, humble us and bring glory to Him. Through enduring life’s trials, we show our love for  God and bring Him glory through our victory.

Esther Ahn Kim was a true follower of Christ and through all the storms of her life,  she showed her love for Him through her triumphs over the winds that had tossed her about. When Esther was a teacher at a girl’s Christian school, she came face to face with her first trial. Esther and all the other members of the school were being forced to bow down to Japanese shrine idols. She overcame this trial, by standing up for the true God fully knowing the consequences that lay ahead. Therefore, just as James says, Esther demonstrates genuine saving faith.

Equal in Christ’s Eyes.

While in jail, Esther met a woman that everyone considered to be crazy due to the fact that she had murdered her husband by hacking him into many pieces. After Esther heard about her, she told the other women in her cell to pray that this crazy women to be moved into her cell and shortly after, she was. Esther started to show God’s love towards this women, revealing the unconditional love that God has towards anybody (John 3:16). Through this, they become good friends and this crazy women started to trust Esther with her friendship and eventually put her trust in the Lord as well. The jailers were astounded at the fact that this was raving women from before was so transformed.

With God’s love, anything is possible. We may think that there is no hope for some individuals, but God works in wonderful ways and we should never lose sight of that.

Praise Him Always, Even through the Storms.

No matter what jail cell Esther was placed in, she lived out God’s never failing love by helping convert prisoners who ridiculed her, and jailers that beat her. A number of them were touched by the love and compassion she showed even though she did not receive it back. God used Esther to help present the Gospel to even the most wicked of people.

Soon after, the law of worshiping shrines (Japanese Sun gods) was eventually manditory even in prisons. The prisoners, including Esther, were forced to bow down to these gods and if they refused to bow down then they received a death penalty. Once again, God protected His people through not allowing the rally of the shrines to proceed. The governor who wanted the law of worshiping these gods to go forth into the jails as well, died in a plane crash.

Genuine Saving Faith

When studying and reading the biography on Esther Ahn Kim it becomes more and more apparent that her faith was, infact, genuine saving faith.

Trials started coming her way at the very beginning of her life. At the young age of eight, when she received Christ as her Savior and Lord, she was put into situations where she was forced into watching her grandparents worship false idols; due to the fact that Esther was so young, this really confused her.

Later on in her life when she was occupied by the Japanese, the government was forcing all workers to participate in ceremonies at Shinto shrines (a Japanese Sun God).  She refused to bow down to these idols and she suffered a great amount for this, eventually landing up in jail.

This is just a grasp look at her life and you can already see that it certainly was not easy for her to live out her faith, although the trials she faced did not stop her from doing so. Even while she was in jail, her prayer life was just as strong as before if not better. The trials she went through did not weaken her faith but made her so much stronger.

Maybe we should take time to stop and think if our faith could be considered genuine saving faith. Through all the trials that we face in life, can we say that they have made our relationships closer to God and turned us into stronger beleivers?

Challenge yourself.

Esther was a great women, who even as a child realized the love and mercy of God. The kind of love that isn’t a requirement but rather a given quality of having Christ in your life.

Taking a look at this picture, it is an illustration of the way that Esther must have felt like a child.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/youndagultcrisishotline/R-endHAwCxI/AAAAAAAAAf4/UhtVodHc1H4/love_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg

Step into her Shoes.

In a life full of unacceptance and ridiculement, Esthers did not change her passion for Christ. Could you put your faith in God and believe that He will turn all your misfortunes into good, similar to one of Esther’s lifes principles? Explain.

Getting to know Esther/ Ei Sook.

Esther Ahn Kim, or Ei Sook, was not the sort of daughter a Koren father longed for, simply because she was a girl. She was born thin and small therefore her relatives ridiculed her. A typical Korean family longed for their first born child to be a boy to be an heir to the family. Esther was an acception, she may have been born a frail baby, but her passion towards life and her beliefs were great.

Ei Sook had accepted Christ at the age of 8, through her mother. Ei Sook had to rely on her mother because she had no church to attend nor a bible to read. Ei Sook lived by four principles that the missionary had taugh her:

1. Jesus is the only Son of God and the only Savior.

2. Jesus will never forsake his beleivers.

3.  Jesus is able to take all the misfortunes of a beleiver and turn them into good.

4. Jesus hears the prayers of His children.