By Grace Through Faith

Easter... Is my favorite Holiday celebration

because of what Christ did for me personally;

He suffered and endured the shame of the cross

when it should have been me on that cross.

"Christ, being found in fashion as a man, he

humbled himself and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross."  (Philippians 2:8)

He came to prove His love towards me,

in that while I was a sinner, He died for me,

so that I might live a victorious life through Him.

I cannot help but think about the free gift 

that we have through Jesus Christ our Lord,

 as we celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

 Ephesians 2: 1-10 is such a beautiful reminder

of God's divine formula for rescuing His people from their sin.

God's rich Mercy (verse 4 a) "But God who is rich in mercy."
Romans 10:12&13 are beautiful verses showing God's mercy to ALL

who call upon His name. 

"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek;

for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord

shall be saved." 

 God forgives all our iniquities

and heals all our diseases. (Psalm 103:3) 

He removes the barrier that separates people from Himself

by canceling the debt of sin (all our iniquities) so that anyone

can enjoy a loving relationship with Him.

God's love removes a persons sins as though they never existed. (Psalm 103:12)

Oh my! That should cause us to bow down on our knees

to the Lord and lift His name on high and thank Him

for the work He has done for us

as we trust Him in His unfailing love. 

God's great Love (verse 4 b) "For his great love, wherewith he loved us."

John 3:16-17 are verses we quote so often, and are filled 

with the wonderful truth of salvation.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,

but have eternal life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through Him might be saved." 

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God's Grace (verse 5) "Even when we were dead in sins, 
hath quickened us together with Christ,
by grace are ye saved."
Paul expresses his thanksgiving to God 
for his salvation through the grace of God in 1 Timothy 1:14&15
"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith
and love which is in Christ Jesus.
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners, of whom I am chief."  

Mercy, love, and grace combined together produce a free Gift. (verses 8&9)
"For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
Not of works lest any man should boast."   
Romans 6:23 ties in so well with these two verses,
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  
Eternal life is a grace, a gift received through Faith. (verse8) 
"So faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." 
Have you trusted in the marvelous grace of Jesus
and received His free Gift of salvation? 

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"Why Should He Die 
For Such As I" 

In everything both great and small
we see the hand of God in all,
and in the miracles of Spring
when everywhere and everything
His handiwork is all around
and every lovely sight and sound
proclaims the God of earth and sky
I ask myself "Just who am I"
that God should send His only Son
that my salvation would be won
upon a cross by a sinless man
to bring fulfillment to God's plan-
For Jesus suffered, bled and died
that sinners might be sanctified,
and to grant God's children such as I
Eternal life in that Home on High.
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~ 

Great is the Lord and most worthy of our praises.
Our Precious Heavenly Father,
thank you for the gift of salvation
through Your Son Jesus Christ,
who willingly suffered and died
so that we may have life.
Amen.

Hallelujah
Christ is Risen!
~ Debbie ~ 

Something to Ponder

I love to highlight and make notes in my Bible

so I can reflect back on places I've been 

in my walk with the Lord.
Are you like that?

God's Word is alive, and through the Spirit 

the same verses that spoke to me today for example

may speak to me differently at other times in my life.

We should be always growing in our walk of faith

as God's Word instructs us on how to live.

God's Holy Word will speak to our spirits

and bring about inspiration, motivation,

 understanding, conviction and change

as we open our hearts and minds to Him.

All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable

for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly

 furnished unto all good works."

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)   

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The other morning in my quiet time with the Lord

I came across a particular verse that I had both

highlighted and underlined, along with a note I had written to myself

as to what the Lord was saying to me eight years ago.

"What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalm 116:12)

It was during a missions conference that God used this verse 

in directing my husband and I for the amount He  would have us to give to missions.

The note I wrote to myself in the margin said,

"What will I give to God's work? Render; to pour out abundantly."  

My desire was to render something acceptable,

something that God would be pleased with.

Our hearts should be full of gratitude for God's grace and mercy,

and  all His benefits to us.

When we speak of God's mercies we should magnify them

and  speak highly of them.

And what shall we render to the Lord? 

How about our obedience and thanksgiving?

We can, with a devoted heart give God, whom showers us with His benefits

all our praises and a heart of obedience

which is acceptable and pleasing unto Him. 

May our hearts ponder on this verse

bringing a change in our walk of faith.

Our Precious Heavenly Father,

we know that You need nothing,

and You put no price on Your free mercy and grace.

May our lives be lived out in an acceptable manor

that would bring glory and honor to Your Holy Name.

Amen 

Be Lovely!

~ Debbie ~

I will be joining Stephanie's party over at
Roses of Inspiration 

Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

Hello, my dear and faithful followers!
These past couple of months
 I have been taking some time to sit at the feet of Jesus,
where I have found rest in His loving arms,
and I must confess that during my time away I MISSED YOU!! 
I was able to go south for some sunshine 
and these photo's were taken of the beautiful cactus's
in the area where I was staying.

God is true to His Word, in that when we seek Him
we are sure to find Him.
My spirit, my soul and my body
longed for some quiet and alone time with my Savior.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, my desire is to be a 
sweet fragrance for my Lord, and I longed to enter into a 
more personal and intimate relationship
with the One who brings us blessing, rest and joy.

I challenged myself daily to spend more time in the Word
seeking out the riches of God's promises
so as to memorize and apply them to my life,
Philippians 4:8 was one of the verses I meditated on
prayed over and set my mind on so as to live in God's ways.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; 
if there be any virtue and if there be any praise,
think on these things."
It all begins in our minds and we are to think about what is good and right.
During my quiet time with the Lord,
I was allowing His Spirit to fill my heart with all that
is good, pleasing and honorable in His Kingdom. 
What is true is found in God, in Christ, in the Holy Spirit
and in God's Word.
Honorable, the Greek term means "worthy of respect."
Believers are to meditate on whatever is worthy of awe and adoration. 

During this time I happened upon "The Daniel Fast"
believing it was of no mistake.
About one month into my quiet time alone with the Lord,
it would seem as though God was leading me to finish off this restful time alone with Him
through the benefits of fasting, and not just with my diet, but spiritually as well.
The power of fasting doesn't necessarily make sense to the natural mind.
But spiritual fasting requires spiritual sense-a spiritual
outlook and trust in the Lord and His ways.
I believed by doing the Daniel Fast that it was the first step toward 
the experience I was longing for that would bring me closer
to the Father who desires a deep , abiding relationship 
with each of His children.
Though I began my time of rest with meditation and prayer
I knew that every part of me needed something more.
I was longing for my Soul (my emotions, intellect, and feelings)
to benefit from the spiritual discipline of fasting.
I knew my soul needed to be fed.
I knew that my Spirit needed and would grow in strength 
and in the knowledge of Christ and His ways.
Then there was my Body...in many areas I wanted to renew my body and
benefit from a healthy lifestyle.
God continues to be faithful with 
where I have placed myself in His loving care.

Through the Daniel Fast I appreciated
 learning of Daniel's love for his God.
Daniel purposed in his heart to follow the ways of God.
"But, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself."
(Daniel 1:8a)
Daniel believed in his God.
That's the kind of faith we can all have.
Are we willing to love God with our whole hearts?
Are we willing to make God number one in our lives?
God is more than willing to do His part
when we are willing to do ours. 
Daniel devoted himself to God, he set his heart 
on the ways of the Lord and refused to be defiled by
the customs and practices of the Babylonians. 
Daniel's faith serves as a worthy example for us to follow. 

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
and all these things shall be added unto you." 
(Matthew 6:33)
Jesus teaches us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,"
or His right way of doing things.
We should aim to do everything with God and in His ways.
When we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures 
and learn what the Lord has to say about who we are
and how we should care for our bodies,
there should be only one love-loaded
response to our Lord: "Yes Sir."
He is our number one reason for making changes
to be better aligned with what He wants for us.
Our Precious Heavenly Father, desires for us to be
healthy, to take good care of our bodies in whole,
so that we may be a shining example of His family.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil."
(Proverbs 4:23-27)

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Our Precious Heavenly Father,
These verses are such a powerful visual image
 that we must take and apply to our lives.
Help us to use our lips for Your glory,
to keep our eyes focused on Your kingdom,
and cause us to ponder the paths of our feet,
so that our ways will be established in You, and for Your glory.
Amen.

Be Blessed!
~ Debbie ~

Please join me as I party with Stephanie over at
Roses of Inspiration