Lessons from Mordecai

I completed reading the Bible through this past week.  Always amazing at how much I learn each time I read the Bible on a regular schedule.  The final book I read was Esther.  This is how the book of Esther closes: "King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.  2.  And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?  3.  Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews" (Esther 10:1-3). 

That last phrase of verse 3 really grabbed my attention when I read it the other morning.  Perhaps it took on new meaning in the light of the political debacle we are witnessing in Washington right now.  Mordecai was help in high esteem because he worked for the good of his people.  Mordecai did not look out for his own political ambitions.  Mordecai did not focus upon what the polls were saying about his administration of Jewish affairs.  Mordecai did not concern himself with how he could better his own position.  No, the text states clearly that Mordecai worked for the good of his people. 

Friends, that is a focus that is glaringly missing today.  Our elected officials often call themselves the "servants of the people."  I wonder if many of them truly understand what that term means.  A servant, by definition, does not look out for his own concerns.  A servant, by definition, does not act on the basis of what is best for himself.  No, a servant, by definition, acts on behalf of those he serves.  Their best interests and welfare are what drive him in his service.  It seems to me that many elected officials today are only interested in how they can keep their jobs.  Many are "party people" rather than "servants of the people."  Many have lost touch with the realities of their constituents.  Many have been in office for so long that there is a disconnect with people back home.  And so we have political gridlock as these supposed "servants of the people" ask themselves, "If I make decision A, what ramifications will it have for me when the next election comes?" 

Somehow I don't envision Mordecai being a poll-watcher.  I don't imagine that Mordecai spent much time thinking about how he could keep his position within the Xerxes administration.  No, Mordecai "worked for the good of his people."  He had a servant's heart.  How we need people in government today who have the true heart of a servant.  Men and women who are willing to take a stand for what is "good for his/her people" back home.  We need men and women who truly understand that it is not about them...it is about what is best for the people of the United States. 

I reminded our staff yesterday, as I shared this verse with them, that our role as leaders in the local church is to be that of servants.  We are not to seek our own welfare.  We are not to seek our own job security.  We are to be so in touch with the people in our congregation that we know and understand their needs and so "work for the good of our people."  We need to remember that it is not about us...it is about Him who is the head of the Church. 

Mordecai is one of those people whose story is told within the Scriptures that I want to spend some time with in heaven.  Mordecai was an effective leader because Mordecai was first a humble servant.  Lord, help me to remember that one who leads others well is first one who serves others well.