Happy Thursday

Come As You Are
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:28-29

Today's passage in Esther is a study in contrasts. And it all centers around a contrast in kingdoms. The Scriptures go to great lengths to describe the riches of the king's palace at Shushan. There were hangings of white, green, and blue fastened to silver rings with cords of fine linen and purple. The beds were of gold and silver on a pavement of red, blue, white, and black marble. It must have been something! But one day, every child of God will see something that will make the palace at Shushan look like a doghouse. We have no concept of what the glories of heaven will be like except that they will be beyond our wildest imaginings.

The second contrast emerges when Mordecai challenged Queen Esther to approach the king. Everyone knew the dangers involved. If she came to the inner court without being called by the king, she could be put to death if the king did not hold out his golden scepter.

What a contrast to the King of kings, whose word is, "Call unto me and I will answer thee." What a contrast to the urging of Scripture to come boldly to the throne of God, where we can find mercy and grace.

We can see it in the life of Jesus as well. He was the most inclusive person who ever lived. He welcomed people others turned away--little children, lepers, tax collectors, sinners, anyone who came to Him in simple faith and need. And today, without special invitation, the Lord of glory is waiting to reveal more and more of Himself to you and me in His Word.

Prayer  Lord, I am awed that Jesus died for me so that I could be Your child and have access before Your throne. Amen.

God wants us to come into His throne room unbidden, to "interrupt" Him with our prayers.

Face to face with Christ, my Savior

Face to face with Christ, my Savior,
Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ Who died for me?

  Refrain

    Face to face I shall behold Him,
    Far beyond the starry sky;
    Face to face in all His glory,
    I shall see Him by and by!

Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkened veil between,
But a blessèd day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.

  Refrain

What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened,
And the dark things shall be plain.

  Refrain

Face to face—oh, blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ Who loves me so.

  Refrain

Daily Smile:
A little boy returned from the grocery store with his mom. While his mom put away the groceries, the little boy opened his box of animal crackers and spread them all over the kitchen table.

"What are you doing?" asked his mom.

"The box says you shouldn't eat them if the seal is broken," said the little boy. "I'm looking for the seal."

In The News:

Nigeria: Suspected Islamic Militants Kill 10 Christians in Machete and Gun Attack
Suspected Islamist militants killed 10 Christians in an overnight machete and gun attack in the remote village of Chibok in Nigeria's Borno state on Dec. 2, BBC News reports. Residents said a group of men went from house to house in a largely Christian area of Chibok, setting people's houses on fire before slitting the throats of 10 people. Later, gunmen attacked government targets and churches near the border with Cameroon, killing five policemen. It is still unclear who is behind the attacks, but the army suspects the Islamist sect Boko Haram, which has targeted churches and government establishments in the region in the last few years, killing more than 3,000. The group is fighting to overthrow the government and impose a strict form of sharia, or Islamic law.

Washington State to Eliminate 'Bride' and 'Groom' on Marriage Certificates
The words "bride" and "groom" are about to become archaic language in Washington state as officials prepare to remove the terms, along with "husband" and "wife," from marriage and divorce certificates, Todd Starnes reports. Tim Church, a spokesman for the Washington health department, told Fox News they will likely be removing those words in favor of more gender-neutral terms in response to the same-sex marriage law that takes effect in the state December 6. "We've been quickly moving ahead to change our marriage certificate to make sure it fits for everyone who is going to be using it," Church said. The words "bride" and "groom" could be replaced with "Spouse A" and "Spouse B" or "Person A" and "Person B." The department has been taking public input, but the state's secretary of health will ultimately decide which terms are used. "We want our form to work for everyone who is getting married," Church said. Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said: "It is one sort of symbolic indication of how radical a change the legalization of same-sex marriage is. Symbolically, they are doing away with the whole concept of bride and groom, husband and wife -- at least in the eyes of the law."