Word Count: 773

Contact

The Throne of Grace

by   
6/25/2007 / Devotionals

Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai saying: "All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days." They told to Mordecai Esther's words. Then Mordecai bade them return answer to Esther, "Don't think to yourself that you shall escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish: and who knows whether you haven't come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Then Esther bade them return answer to Mordecai, "Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish." So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Now it happened on the third day, that Esther put on her royal clothing, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, over against the entrance of the house. It was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter. Then said the king to her, "What will you, queen Esther? And what is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom." -Esther 4:10-5:3 (WEB)

--
Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need. -Hebrews 4:16 (WEB)

--

When the radio preacher invited people who do not have a personal relationship with Christ to come "boldly before the throne of grace," I immediately thought, "but they don't have a right to come before the throne. If you're not a citizen of the Kingdom, you have no right" That thought was suddenly obliterated by another, as I remembered Esther, who had no right to go before the throne to visit the king, even though he was her husband.

The law said the penalty was death for anyone coming uninvited into the presence of the king. Esther was his wife, but the law applied just as much to her as it did to the lowliest person in the kingdom. We see Esther boldly walk in, and we suck in our breath, waiting for the reaction of King Ahasuerus. Will he order her death? No. He extends grace to her by means of his scepter. Without that offer of grace, which she accepted by touching his scepter, she would have been killed.

Without God's offer of grace, made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our penalty would also be death. The penalty applies to every human being, from the highest to the lowest member of society. Just as Esther accepted the grace offered by the king, so we must accept the grace the King of kings offers. Without that grace, we perish.

O God, we do accept Your grace. We know we have no right to come before Your throne, but we accept the grace You offer us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Father, for Your grace, Your mercy, and Your love. Thank You, for granting us citizenship in Your Kingdom. Help us to live each day as the people You want us to be. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Closing Thought
Let us remember that it is not up to us to determine who can come before God's throne of grace. That is His decision to make. Let us not try to make it for Him. Rather, let us humbly and confidently lead the way, first to the Cross, and then to the Throne of Grace.

Copyright 2006, Star Ferdinand.

Star Ferdinand is the author of The Prayerful Bible Study Series of study guides, numerous devotionals, and other Christian writings. You can read more of her writings at starferdinand.wordpress.com.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer