Focus: It's Good To Be Good!

Text: Esth.10:3

"For Mordecai the Jew was NEXT unto king Ahasuerus, and GREAT among the Jews, and ACCEPTED of the multitude of his brethren, SEEKING the wealth of his people, and SPEAKING peace to all his seed."

It's good to be good. Goodness is beautiful and attractive. In the New Testament, two Greek words are mostly used for 'good,' and they are 'agathos' and 'kalos.' Agathos refers to what is good in and out. It is that which is essentially, constitutionally or intrinsically good. It is that which is inherently or naturally good. Kalos, on the other hand, refers to a goodness that is appealing and contagious. It speaks of that which is outwardly good. Kalos is attractive goodness or that which is aesthetically pleasing or appealing. The two words are often used interchangeably. For example, in John 10:11, Jesus says, "I am the GOOD Shepherd." That is kalos. In Mark 10:17, the rich young ruler calls Jesus, "GOOD Master." That is agathos. Jesus is wholly good. His goodness is not only original and unfeigned, it is acutely contagious.

We are created in Christ unto good works (Eph.2:10). Doing good is the calling of every believer. Paul exhorts, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Gal.6:10).

Mordecai was a good man and a patriotic Jew. He raised Esther, an orphan, as his own child, and positioned her for greatness in a foreign land. He exposed an assassination plot against the king and gingered Esther to stand up for the deliverance of the Jews in the land. He survived the evil plots of Haman, and was finally favored and honored by the king. In the end, we have it on record that Mordecai was "accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed." That is exactly the spirit of every Jew today in the world. That is Jewish patriotism. They love themselves and seek for the good of Israel. They love peace, but not at the expense of truth.

What Mordecai did for the Jewish people, we are called to do for each other as Christians. We are called to seek for the wealth and welfare of the church and for the furtherance of the gospel in the world. Erwin W. Lutzer has rightly pointed out, "Christianity spread rapidly during the first century because all Christians saw themselves as responsible for disseminating the gospel." Mordecai put his life on the line for saving the Jews, because he saw it as a personal responsibility. He never waited for any other person to do it. He did what he knew was right, regardless of the sacrifice he made and the pain he suffered. At last it was all worth it.

Let's seek for the good of others and do all the good we can for the advancement of the church and for the saving of souls into the kingdom of Christ. Let's seek for the welfare and wealth of one another in this strange world where virtually everything is working against us. The Christian lives in a hostile world, where the system is designed to work against our faith. So let's stand up for each other and join hands to fulfill the divine commission of Christ. Let's speak peace to the godly seed - the church of Jesus Christ. Let's manifest the greatness of God in us and live acceptably with one another. Like the king finally rewarded Mordecai, so will the King of kings finally reward us when He returns for us. It's good to be good.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter