Esther Series – part 15
Pastor Eric A.
Green
Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, assemble all the Jews
who are found in Susa
Up
to this point, Esther followed the explicit directions of Mordecai, and she
found favor with the king through obedience to the instructions of the eunuchs
assigned to her. What a picture of humility before exaltation! We often
want exaltation before humility, but it never works like that in the
kingdom. God can only lift up the standard of Jesus Christ where we first
lay down our rights.
Esther
understood this. Now we see a new order of things: So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther
commanded him . . . (v. 17)
Esther is giving the orders now, and Mordecai is
glad to follow them. She has been promoted, and circumstances demand she
step into the role of leader with all its joys and risks – and at the moment,
there are more risks than joy! Esther was going to have to step beyond
the royal protocol and come into the king’s presence without a summons, a move
that could cost her life. She didn’t have
to do it, but she chose to do
it. She valued the lives of those she led more than her own. What an
awesome display of Christ-likeness.
In our desire to be successful, we don’t often
consider price of spiritual promotion. Jesus gave His life for us, Paul
gave his, Peter, and so on. The question now comes to us, what is the
price we are willing to pay for the exaltation we seek from God?
Promotion is a two-sided coin, and we often choose to look at “heads” and
ignore the “tails.” So beloved, be careful to walk in obedience and
humility today, because that will build the character needed to weather the
storms you are sure to face once you are truly promoted! Think about it.
Love and understanding,
Pastor Eric
Thanks, Misty!
ReplyDelete