PJP2 PROLOG - 161126 - PROLOG Focus: Esther 9:31-32........SEASONS - Psalm 145:1-3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will Extol You, my God And King, And Bless Your NAME Forever And Ever. Every Day I Will Bless You And Praise Your NAME Forever And Ever. Great Is The Lord, And Greatly To Be Praised, And His Greatness IS Unsearchable.'.... PJP2 PROLOG POST - 161126 - SEASONS - Esther 9:31-32 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."That These Days Of Purim Should Be Observed At Their Appointed SEASONS, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther Obligated Them, And As they Had Obligated themselves and their offspring, With Regard to their Fasts and their Lamenting. The command of Esther Confirmed These Practices Of Purim, And It Was Recorded In Writing.".... It really is fascinating to explore the History of a SEASON that we Celebrate. For example the POWS of today's PJP2 PROLOG POST 161126, Esther 9:31-32, are the last two verses of The Book of Esther's 9th Chapter. If you aren't aware of Esther's Story, a fascinating read for certain. (By-the-way, Esther is one of two Books of The BIBLE that share God's Workings within the Lives of two very Unique and Special Women of His WORD {WOW}. Highly encourage you to read Esther and Ruth/jaj) Anyway, in a thumbnail sketch - Esther 2:16-17 (ESV)...."And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti." Esther 3:1-2, 8-11 (ESV)...."After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries.” So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.” Esther 4:1, 4, 13-17 (ESV)...."When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him." Esther 7:3-6, 10 (ESV)...."Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated." Again, the above is a very shortened version of God's GRACE being Revealed via His Working In Esther (and Mordecai)'s LIVES. BUT, my point, today, is Because of God's GRACE, His children of Israel Celebrate PURIM (Celebrating God's Defeat of evil Haman and his wicked plot to eliminate the Jews from the Persian Empire). PURIM Is a Remembrance of God's GRACE, His Power, His Protection and His Provision for His children. And thus we Come to our Celebration of Christmas, our Lord Jesus' First Advent to our dying world..... John 1:9-14 (ESV)...."The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." Colossians 2:15 (ESV)...."He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him." Romans 8:31-39 (ESV)...."What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Today's PJP2 PROLOG POST 161126 has put a new view of our Celebration of our Lord Jesus' First Advent in my noggin. I had never considered that His Humble Beginning, in a Stable in Bethlehem was The Beginning Of The End. That His Coming as a Servant That Saves us Is Also The Opening Of The Very Gates of Heaven for us to Be Able to Serve as well In His Coming Kingdom of GRACE. God The Father's GIFT of His Son, Paying our Debt of sin, In Full, Provides us His Ability to GIVE as well. Indeed, What Amazing GRACE! Thus my Prayer for us today would be to Offer Up a Paraphrase of Prayer, Thanks and Praise via His WORD as Recorded in Psalm 100:1-5 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)...."O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Do Make A Joyful Noise To You, O Lord, to All the earth! Lord Jesus, May we Serve You, Today and Forever, O Lord With Gladness! Holy Spirit, Ever Inspire us to Come Into Your Presence With Singing! Father God, we Know That You, O Lord, You and You Alone Are God! Lord Jesus, May we Ever Reflect Your Truth....It Is You Who Made us. Holy Spirit, we Are Yours. Father God, By Your GRACE, we Are Your Adopted people. Lord Jesus, O Eternal Shepherd, we Are The sheep Of Your Pasture. Holy Spirit, May we Ever Enter Your Gates With Thanksgiving. Father God, May we Ever Enter Your Courts With Praise! Lord Jesus, we Give Thanks To You. Holy Spirit, we Bless Your NAME! Father God, Thank You for You Are Good. Lord Jesus, we Are Blessed for Your Steadfast LOVE Endures Forever, And Your Faithfulness to all generations. We Raise our Prayers and Praise to You, Lord Jesus. We Thank You, once more, for Another Opportunity To Share Your Story This Advent SEASON. May we Be Your Reflections Now and Forever....Amen and Amen....jaj