Live Free with Josh Howerton - Humbly Honoring Others | Ep. 196 | Monday, November 6, 2023

Episode Date: November 6, 2023

In the middle of a sleepless night, King Xerxes was reminded of when Mordecai saved his life. The king asked Haman what he should do to honor someone. Because of his pride, Haman assumed the king wanted to honor him. How do you think he felt when he found out it was Mordecai? Listen in to hear how Haman was humbled while Mordecai was honored. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe.com slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the Daily Drive podcast. My name is Bro, and we spend a few minutes each weekday trying to get to know God a little better and apply some wisdom to our lives. And for the last few days, we've been walking through the story of a young woman named Esther, and we've been doing it in like Netflix binge-watching style. And just for a quick recap, the principal characters are Esther, this young Jewish orphan that is selected as the new queen of Persia, Mordecai, her adoptive father, a good man who works at the palace gate, Haman, this egot maniac villain who hates Mordecai, and plans to annihilate the Jewish people as payback for Mordecai's refusal to bow down to him, and King Xerxes, who rules the Persian Empire.

Now, if you need to fill in all the blanks, go back and give a quick listen, or you can read the entire story in the pages of the Old Testament of the Bible. And we just got a few more episodes, and today we're going to pull up episode six, recall it insomnia, or sleepless ensuesa. Esther chapter 6 says this. That night, the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him.

I just think that's funny. I can't sleep. Let's read a book about me. And guess which story is read? It was the one about Mordecai's saving the king's life from those two guards that were plotting to kill him. And the king asked us attendants that were reading, did we ever reward or recognize Mordecai for this?

And they say, well, not really, nothing really was ever done for him. And then the king overhears someone in the outer courtyard, and he says, who's in the courtyard? Then it says this in chapter 6, verse 4. Now, Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him. See, this is good stuff. So the king asked Haman, hey, I'm just wondering about something. I'm glad you're here.

What should I do for someone I want to honor? Now, of course, in his ego, Haman thinks to himself, Hmm, who would the king want to honor other than me? So he says, well, I think you ought to bring him the royal robe. The king's horse, put a royal crest on his head and let the most noble princes lead him through the street shouting, this is what is done for the man the king delights to honor.

Chapter 6, verse 10 says, Excellent, quick, bring the robes in my horse. And do, just as you said, for Mordeca. the Jew who sits at the gate of the palace, leave out nothing, you have suggested. So awesome. And Haman has to do it, man, I wish it could have been there. Verse 12. Afterward, Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home, dejected, and

completely humiliated. You know, I couldn't help but think how if Haman would have had the capability to brag on Mordecai and tell the king, you know what, that's a great idea. I mean, you really ought to honor it. that guy, he saved your life. You know what? In fact, I'd be happy to volunteer. I'll lead the parade honoring such a noble man like him. I mean, if he'd have done that, he would have been elevated, and he could have gone home invigorate it and full of joy. You see, God says over and over and over through his word, the prideful, the lofty, the egotistical, will be brought low, but the humble

will be exalted. So ask yourself the day. Who can I serve today? even more challenging. Is there someone you'd rather not serve that by serving them, even in some small way, would lift you out of your anger and perhaps even build or rebuild a relationship? I mean, think about it. Who could you honor today that you'd rather not? Who could you encourage today that you'd rather not? Who could you cheer on today? That you'd rather not. Humble yourself. And just see what God does in you. It'll make a difference and your heart and your attitude, and he will lift you up. If you continue to harbor resentment and envy and bitterness and pride and ego, it will take you down. You can almost see where this is

taking Heyman, can't you? Come back tomorrow for episode seven, and we'll find out together. Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out. For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.com. Church slash daily drive.