Honor and Integrity: Would you do the right thing?
Would you do the right thing even if no one knew or acknowledged what you had done? Check out Esther 6:1-9. #YFA #iDevo #Integrity #Honor
Take a moment to look back and think about where Mordecai was at (Esther 2:21-23). His people defeated and the conquers took them back with them to work and serve them. He had no reason to protect a king or a country that had captured his people and dragged them from their homes to a distant land. He had the choice to speak up or stay silent when he overheard people talking about killing the king. He was a Jew so chances are there was no reward or benefit for speaking up and truth be told, the people who came to power after the death of the king might release Mordecai and his people. To stay silent or speak up? Staying silent is easy, it requires doing nothing but we are defined by our action or inaction and Honor and Integrity are part of the characteristics God uses to define us. Mordecai was a man of honor and integrity so he spoke up, told Queen Esther, stopped the plot, and saved the king and received nothing in return.
Some times we end up in the same situation as Mordecai the benefit of the easy path at the time seems to be one thing and the difficult path where our honor and integrity come into play seems not worth it. God though operates completely different from the world and while we may receive some reward on Earth, our true reward is awaiting us in Heaven. What we miss in the moment is what happened with Mordecai.
Quick Recap
Esther was taken possibly be the new queen.
Mordecai her uncle raised her like his own daughter.
Mordecai stayed at the gates to continually make sure she was safe.
Esther becomes queen.
Mordecai overhears a plot to kill the king
Tells Esther who tells the King, and the king is saved.
Haman plots to kill all the Jews
Esther invites the king and Haman to a banquet the next day
The king can’t sleep and so does some late night reading and discovers how Mordecai protected him.
Understand God already knows the difficulties in life we will face before we face them. That means he knew Haman’s heart and plans just like he understood Pharoah’s heart and plans. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Mordecai was placed in the perfect position to protect the king. The king can’t sleep and happens to be read the chronicles where Mordecai saves his life. Coincidence? I think not. God makes our path straight and he made Mordecai’s and Queen Esther’s path straight here.
In the end, we have to understand that our calling as believers is to follow God’s Word and continually choose to do things that show Christ in us to a lost world. Sometimes that means taking an unpopular stance, or doing something that has no benefit or seems like it has no benefit to us. What we have to realize though is someone is always watching. It might not seem important at the time but it is the little things when our honor and integrity are on the line that truly can impact our world.
Two Definitions of Integrity:
Doing the right thing even when no one is looking.
Doing the right thing when everyone is looking no matter how unpopular it is.