"But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's instruction as she had done when he was bringing her up." (Esther 2:20, NIV)
And such obedience saved the Jews from annihilation.
There is no doubt to me as to who was in control in this scenario. Mordecai was a man of great perception, a man who was not guided by some Sunday-School-glasses religion. There is no record in the Book of Esther that Mordecai preached, taught, conducted seminars or conventions. Yet Mordecai changed the course of history------- literally!
A person will not be like Mordecai if they just keep up with their religious cliches and following-the-latest- "thing" mentality. It is and will be more difficult to "hear" and "see" today what the Lord Jesus is doing in the nations of the world because much of Christendom has morphed into a religion which prioritizes culture, ethnicity, and gender. "The Word of God," teaches us that such deception, "in the last days," will be subtle, so very subtle. Anyone not as Mordecai will succumb.
Mordecai was a classic, "Kingdom of God/Heaven," personage. He recognized the current political scene in the Empire. Did Mordecai know something was afoot when he told Esther not to reveal, "her family background and nationality..."? He told her this even before he learned of the coming law which purposed to annihilate all the Jews in the Empire. Again, Mordecai did something which does not come easy for most of us. He observed; he listened. Then he acted.
It is easily to cop out and say that we are not in a situation like Mordecai's. Maybe if you and I were to develop more and more the same kind of perception which was in Mordecai, however, we would be able to affect events in our surroundings more than we now realize. Church history is full of men and women just as Mordecai. They saw the conversion of kings and princes, and helped shape cultural change. When our Lord Jesus commanded the Church to, "disciple the nations," it was a command to change the way people think and act.
Father, in Jesus' name, some times I wonder how much my thinking and acting are Yours. Amen.
******************************
* Please pray for my time in DC tomorrow, July 20
* If you want to know a major dilemma which Israel faces, read the latest article on our Blog: jhs58.blogspot.com
And such obedience saved the Jews from annihilation.
There is no doubt to me as to who was in control in this scenario. Mordecai was a man of great perception, a man who was not guided by some Sunday-School-glasses religion. There is no record in the Book of Esther that Mordecai preached, taught, conducted seminars or conventions. Yet Mordecai changed the course of history------- literally!
A person will not be like Mordecai if they just keep up with their religious cliches and following-the-latest- "thing" mentality. It is and will be more difficult to "hear" and "see" today what the Lord Jesus is doing in the nations of the world because much of Christendom has morphed into a religion which prioritizes culture, ethnicity, and gender. "The Word of God," teaches us that such deception, "in the last days," will be subtle, so very subtle. Anyone not as Mordecai will succumb.
Mordecai was a classic, "Kingdom of God/Heaven," personage. He recognized the current political scene in the Empire. Did Mordecai know something was afoot when he told Esther not to reveal, "her family background and nationality..."? He told her this even before he learned of the coming law which purposed to annihilate all the Jews in the Empire. Again, Mordecai did something which does not come easy for most of us. He observed; he listened. Then he acted.
It is easily to cop out and say that we are not in a situation like Mordecai's. Maybe if you and I were to develop more and more the same kind of perception which was in Mordecai, however, we would be able to affect events in our surroundings more than we now realize. Church history is full of men and women just as Mordecai. They saw the conversion of kings and princes, and helped shape cultural change. When our Lord Jesus commanded the Church to, "disciple the nations," it was a command to change the way people think and act.
Father, in Jesus' name, some times I wonder how much my thinking and acting are Yours. Amen.
******************************
* Please pray for my time in DC tomorrow, July 20
* If you want to know a major dilemma which Israel faces, read the latest article on our Blog: jhs58.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
