Esther Reading Plan – W8D3
Check out all the previous Esther readings here.
Esther Reading Plan | Week 8 | Day 3
Prayer
Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. This helps you be more present and aware. Ask God to open your eyes to wonderful things from His word today.
Bible Reading: Luke 14:8-11
Read these verses three times slowly.
“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Reflection & Questions
This week we are reflecting on the pride of Haman and the humility of Mordecai. Today, we read a parable of Jesus about humility. The advice is to avoid assuming the place of honor. Better to choose the lowest place and be invited to move up. As it’s been said, it is better to be humble than to be humiliated.
Humility isn’t easy. We want to be recognized for what we’ve done. We fear being forgotten and irrelevant. However, we must kill those desires inside us. The way to do that is through remembering that we are children of God. That He will never forget us or forsake us. This means in this life, we don’t need to wrestle for the center of attention. We don’t need to be seeking our own glory. If we trust in God’s promises, we can take the lower seats, do the menial tasks, think of others more than ourselves, because we know who we are in Christ.
- Pride comes in many forms. Ask God to reveal to you ways in which you are living in pride and pay attention throughout the day for His answers.
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Prepare to Meet with Jesus
Go to your quiet place. When there are no devices around that will distract you, take a deep breath. Blow it out slowly. Do that again. And do it one last time. Ask God for His help to read and understand.
Bible Reading: Esther 6:6-9
Read these verses three times slowly.
Haman entered. Then the king asked him, “What should be done for the man I want to honor?”
Haman said to himself, “Is there anyone the king would rather honor than me?” So he answered the king. He said, “Here is what you should do for the man you want to honor. Have your servants get a royal robe you have worn. Have them bring a horse you have ridden on. Have a royal mark placed on its head. Then give the robe and horse to one of your most noble princes. Let the robe be put on the man you want to honor. Let him be led on the horse through the city streets. Let people announce in front of him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor!’?”
Reflection & Questions
Well Haman certainly knows how to honor a man! He obviously thinks quite highly of himself. But do you think he would give all of these ideas and suggestions if he knew it wasn’t to honor himself?
There’s a Proverb in the Bible that says, “Pride goes before the fall.” It means that oftentimes a very boastful person will have something embarrassing happen to them shortly after they brag about it. For example, if you tell someone how awesome you are at hitting the baseball and then strike out the next 3 times you are at bat, you bragged about it and then it didn’t happen. That’s embarrassing, right?
It looks like Haman is going to experience that feeling very soon! God does not like when we are boastful about all we have and all that we can do. After all, He is the one who gave us all of it! If we talk with pride about anyone, it should be about Him.
- Can you think of a time when you bragged about yourself and then something embarrassing happened to you?
- Have you ever watched that happen to someone else?
Pray
Take some time to think of all that you have. Not only your stuff, but also your talents and abilities. Thank God for giving them to you. Ask him to help you remember that He is the one who gives us all good things.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
