When Good Wins

O. T. #1105  "When Good Wins"
Nov. 28, 2017
Esther 10
He was y great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants. Esther 10:b NLT

LET IT GLOW


Don't you love it when a story has a good ending, when good wins? And so this one does. The people of Judah, the Hebrew, were  taken captive by the Babylonians, then the Medes, and Persians. Haman, an enemy of the Jews, persuaded the king to make a decree that on a certain day, all the Jews would be killed.

Since God was not going to allow this to happen, He raised up Esther, who became queen of Persia, for such a time as this. She risked her life to inform the king that the decree was going to include her and her people in the death sentence. Esther and her cousin, Mordecai were allowed to write another decree, allowing the Jews to defend themselves against the attack. As it turned out, about 76,000 of the enemies of the Jews were killed. Since then, annually, the Jews celebrate the Feast of Purim. They praise God for delivering them from extermination.

Looking at Mordecai's influence and greatness:

• He was prime minister of an empire, second to the king in authority.
• He was held in high esteem by many of his fellow Jews.
• He served the king and the people by working for the good of all the people and by speaking up for the welfare of the Jews. (verse3)
• He sought peace for the future generation of the Jews.

This great man built up, helped, and nurtured other people. Hasn't God put us here to serve Him and others? Loving, encouraging, and caring are ways we can achieve it. Will we be ready to act and stand for God when such a time comes?


LET IT GROW

I am reminded of others who became second in command of a great empire-Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon.

If all's well that ends well, we'd have to agree, this is "well." Who would have guessed that a Jew would become the prime minister n a Gentile land?

Swindoll points out three principles for our lives from this ancient book:

1. When God wins, the people He uses are often unexpected. He lifted up a nobody at the king's gate and makes him prime minister.
2. When God wins, the qualities He upholds are usually unpretentious. Mordecai didn't have that look of royalty. God used him and  cousin humble people from humble means.
3. When God wins, the message He honors is a universal message. Mordecai's influence spread over 127 provinces.

Will we allow God to use us simple and humble people to carry His message to our particular circumstance? Christ gives us hope for a future out of this world. Amidst suffering, brokenness, losses, tears, and tragedies, the Light of the World is Jesus trying to shine through.

LET IT GO

Trust God that He will eventually win.
Allow love to pour itself out right where I am.
Let the Light shine in a dark world.