Daily Devo

Listen to today’s devo!

When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter. (Est. 5:2)

Expanded Passage: Esther 5:1-5

The conference room table was huge and the titles of those seated around it were just as large: Plant Manager, Director of Quality, Production Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and on and on. And then there was me, the summer intern. I felt insignificant in that room, like I did not belong at the table. And yet I had been invited in.

Esther entered the king’s court uninvited. An act that could have led to her death. But at the moment of truth, the king extended his gold scepter, a demonstration of acceptance and welcome, and spared her life. Though she had no legal right to be in the inner court without a summons, the king was pleased to see her, and he used his power to welcome her in.

The book of Esther does not explicitly mention God, but this section of the story is a gospel parallel on full display. You and I have no right to be in the presence of the true King. There is nothing we can do to earn his favor. Yet he extended the gold scepter—through Jesus on the cross—and made a way where there was no way for us. And just as Esther only needed to approach and accept the gesture of Xerxes, we need only to accept God’s gift of grace. What a blessed gift is the love of God!

Thank God for the love and grace he has extended to you!

Samantha Freds is an ordained pastor in The Wesleyan Church. She enjoys being active outside and spending time with her husband and two little girls.

© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me.” (Est. 4:16)

Expanded Passage: Esther 4:15-17

Moving can be a daunting task. Moving in the middle of winter with a toddler and a three-month-old can be even more overwhelming! That’s why my husband and I made some calls and rallied the troops. We reached out to family and friends and asked for help tearing down, boxing up, and loading the truck. One couple took apart our baby’s crib while a family member packed up the kitchen and other friends carried box after box into the moving truck. My husband and I couldn’t have accomplished all that on our own, but with the help of our crew, we were done before we knew it!

Esther faced a formidable charge when Mordecai informed her of the plot against the Jews and urged her to act. After some initial hesitation, she resolved to go to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. She would need to go physically alone, but she was wise to rally the troops to help carry the load. Esther instructed Mordecai to gather all the Jewish people and have them join her in a three-day fast. While she prepared to go before the king, there were thousands supporting her cause in prayer. Esther’s example is a good one for us to follow. When facing a difficult decision, or a demanding responsibility, we can assemble a prayer support crew!

Build a prayer team for the challenge ahead.

Samantha Freds is an ordained pastor in The Wesleyan Church. She enjoys being active outside and spending time with her husband and two little girls.

© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place.” (Est. 4:14)

Expanded Passage: Esther 4:12-14

I chose to take a weight-lifting class in college rather than an endurance course because the thought of running miles for homework was almost too much to bear. During the eight-week course, I learned basic nutrition for performance and recovery, how to lift using proper form, and what happens to our bodies when we practice resistance training. Weight lifting causes muscle fibers to break down and then rebuild, which leads to increased strength and muscle mass. Over time, lifting weights prepares our muscles for heavier and heavier lifts.

The same can be said about trust. Trust is built over time as we face situations that increasingly challenge our need for control. Mordecai would have grown up hearing the stories of God’s faithfulness to Israel. Surely, there were times in his own life when God proved worthy of trust. Nonetheless, it did not look good for the Jews in Susa. This situation would require an even heavier lift of trust. Mordecai was up for the task. Instead of drowning in fear, anxiety, and anger, he expressed deep confidence that the Jews would be delivered one way or another.

Facing next-level trust situations can leave us feeling weak. And it’s natural to feel our confidence waver under the weight. But, like Mordecai, we can recall the faithfulness of God and step into deeper trust no matter how bleak the circumstances.

Choose to keep building your trust by relying on God.

Samantha Freds is an ordained pastor in The Wesleyan Church. She enjoys being active outside and spending time with her husband and two little girls.

© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out . . . wailing loudly and bitterly. (Est. 4:1)

Expanded Passage: Esther 4:1, 4

During the late stages of pregnancy with our oldest daughter, we were informed of a complication that left us feeling completely helpless. It appeared that our baby was not getting the nutrients she needed, and I would have to be induced weeks early. In my fear and desperation, I cried out to God asking him to protect our baby girl and bring us through delivery safely. Had I lived in Bible times, this would have been an appropriate time for sackcloth and ashes.

Sackcloth and ashes were symbols of humility, repentance, and mourning—in a word, they were displays of vulnerability. And while culturally fitting, I imagine these public displays of vulnerability were no more comfortable in those days than they are today. Yet it was Mordecai’s willingness to lament openly at the evil facing God’s people that served as the catalyst for the rest of the story.

Throughout Scripture, we hear God’s invitation to cry out to him in our pain and fear. He promises to respond with his presence and peace. When we are willing to draw near to him, even in our most vulnerable state, he draws near to us. There is no shortage of evil to lament in our world today, but we can rest assured that whatever concerns us is not unknown to God. And he welcomes our cries for help.

Cry out to God with the assurance that he will hear you.

Samantha Freds is an ordained pastor in The Wesleyan Church. She enjoys being active outside and spending time with her husband and two little girls.

© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

“Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory.” (Ps. 115:1)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 115:1-6

In a church service a few months ago, our worship pastor invited the congregation to raise their hands if they remembered the names of their grandparents. Most hands shot up. She then invited us to raise our hands if we remembered the names of our great-grandparents. Half the hands came down. Then the great-great-grandparents. Only two or three hands remained raised in the room.

That Sunday has stood out to me as a monument of my smallness: a stark (almost chilling) reminder that in all my rushing around, striving, building, and working, I’m building a life that’ll only be remembered by a few folks down the line. Seems depressing at first blush, doesn’t it? I left that day kind of bummed, thinking about how few years I am away from being obsolete.

And yet when I recall that Sunday, I’ve found good news in it, too. I discovered God’s expectations are fitting for our limitations. The reminder of the “easy yoke” and “light burden” of Christ (Matt. 11:30) and the injunction not to dwell on things that are too lofty for us (Ps. 131:1) blazes a trail through Scripture, reminding us that God’s invitation is not to be notable, but to be loving.

I wonder what it might mean for our communities if we thought that our most lasting contribution was to love like Jesus.

Make an eternal deposit by loving as Jesus loved.

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®.

Listen to today’s devo!

“Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.” (Est. 3:11)

Expanded Passage: Esther 2:19 23; 3:1 6, 8-11

Haman didn’t need a sword—just a suggestion. He whispered about a dangerous people, a people who were “different” (Est. 3:8), and the king handed him power. Evil often spreads through unchecked words, through fear and suspicion.

History reminds us how dangerous this can be. From subjugation of people groups throughout the world, to racist remarks in our own neighborhoods today, we are well-acquainted with the ugliness that comes from seeing others as objects to be dealt with, rather than people to be loved. But that temptation isn’t just out in the world; it’s also within our own spirits. We need to look inside, to where resentment grows and whispers about those who are “other” are believed. When our table is full of people who exclusively look, think, and act like us, we begin to see anyone else as “different,” perhaps even dangerous.

One of the best ways to stop viewing others as objects is to learn to love them as neighbors. Having others over for a meal, especially people who aren’t like you—intentionally going into spaces you don’t yet understand and approaching them as a learner—are the artifacts of good neighboring that push back against the spirit of Haman. Heaven will be full of people different than us; we might as well get some practice living with them now.

Offer a neighboring act to someone new.

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®.

Listen to today’s devo!

Haman . . . was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. (Est. 3:5–6)

Expanded Passage: Esther 3:5-6

Strange things can happen in a person’s mind when they feel someone else doesn’t share their values—whether that “someone else” is a person, or indeed a whole people group, who (in Haman’s words) “keep themselves separate,” and whose “customs are different” (Est. 3:8).

A slight offense, a cultural difference, a single incident, when magnified and generalized to an entire group of people—this can fester into something deadly. Haman’s anger wasn’t just personal—it grew into hatred that would destroy every Jewish person in Susa. Pride left unchecked, like Haman’s, turns to poison. Have you ever held on to an offense so long that it changed your perspective on someone? That is, it caused you to see them as “other”? Maybe it festered so long that you no longer looked to them as image bearers or neighbors, but as threats, obstacles, or persons less deserving of good things.

The Enemy delights in taking small biases, negative experiences, or even wounds, and turning those things into division, just as he did with Haman over Mordecai’s refusal to bow. We must watch for these wounds in our pride and choose to let them go, through God’s grace, lest they turn into poison. When we see wounded pride controlling the view of others, we must protect those who are dehumanized and endangered.

Let go of an offense before it takes root, choosing grace instead.

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®.

Listen to today’s devo!

Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. (Est. 3:4)

Expanded Passage: Esther 3:3-4

I remember hearing the story of a woman who was working in a quarry when she found a small flake of gold on one of the stones she touched. She took it over to a trough with a water pump and began to scrub. As more and more gold flakes emerged, she continued to scrub with more and more enthusiasm, until her scrubbing was so quick that her ring fell off. It was then that she realized the rock didn’t contain any gold; the only gold was the stuff she’d scrubbed off her ring. In her pursuit of the gold she wanted, she destroyed the gold she had.

No matter how durable, solid, and precious our commitment to God is, sometimes the allure of something else (even good things) becomes the primary pursuit of our lives. In our pursuit of something else that looks valuable, we discard the valuable thing we already committed to.

Mordecai is in a situation like this: His influence in the government is a precious thing to him, no doubt. It’s worth his livelihood, and even his life is at risk if he doesn’t accept this decree. And yet, Mordecai decides not to bow.

Rocks and rings don’t erode in a day; neither does character. They all erode gradually. Staying faithful requires small, daily acts of refocusing on the invitation of God.

Defend against erosion with prayer.

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®.

Listen to today’s devo!

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®.

Listen to today’s devo!

Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king. (Est. 2:22)

Expanded Passage: Esther 2:21-23

Christian history is full of ordinary people who persisted in advocating for those without power, even when they might have felt like irritants. For example, abolitionist pastors (like Rev. Adam Crooks, an early Wesleyan abolitionist appointed to North Carolina) were dragged from their pulpits, burned in effigy, or hanged and beaten due to their commitment to advocate for all of God’s children to be free. Wesleyans today might benefit from the witness of Mordecai: who, when he witnessed a plot to dehumanize a whole class of people, kept speaking to those who could advocate on their behalf.

Mordecai uncovered a plan to assassinate King Xerxes, whose rule was a threat to himself, Esther, and the other Jewish people living in Susa. Unafraid, Mordecai used his voice to prevent an evil act, despite putting himself at great risk. Similarly, Esther chose to warn the king, even though he had uprooted her from her home and made her queen against her will. Doing the right thing isn’t always celebrated, but God still calls us to keep using our voice for the least of these, as well as our enemies.

Advocate for all of God’s children, even those who would seek to hurt you.

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®.