But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. (Est. 3:2)
Expanded Passage: Esther 3:1-2
Mordecai ably served the king; his allegiance to the king wasn’t in question. At the same time, he knew that his ultimate allegiance was to God—and that ordered his affections; making it easier for Mordecai to say yes or no at the right moment.
Over the past few years, as the cultural climate has been increasingly polarized and defensive, I’ve chosen to ask myself one question when I’m deciding what to say: Do my words promote holiness? Put another way: Does the fruit of my words look like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, or am I growing some other fruit?
Asking that question has been a costly exercise in self-awareness: I’ve caught myself sometimes in a posture of defensiveness, or people-pleasing, or misunderstanding, and then I’ve had to repent and re-center my focus on who God has invited me to be. This process doesn’t solve everything immediately, but it does help us resist the temptation to bow toward some other idol—the idol of “being seen as correct,” for example, or the idol of “conformity,” or even the idol of “comfort”—and focus on our first allegiance.
Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, not so much out of rebellion, but out of conviction. His allegiance was already given to God. When we know who we belong to, we can stand firm.
Choose words and actions that promote holiness by putting God first.
Ethan Linder is the pastor of discipleship at College Wesleyan Church (IN) and contributing editor for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
