Calvary's Cross ~

Jesus, our Sacrificial Lamb, our Savior, our God, our Redeemer ~

He laid down His life as our sacrificial lamb to pay for our sins. 

When He rose from the dead three days later, 

He gave victory over eternal separation from God (death)

to all who put their faith and trust in Him. 

New found faith brings us into a personal relationship with God, 
through all that Jesus has done and continues to do. 

John the Baptist introduced Jesus, saying,

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

(John 1:29)

The penalty God imposed on sin is both just and loving, 

for God Himself,  in the person of the Son, paid that penalty

for all who will accept Him as their Substitute.

God the Son, clothed in human form, shed  His blood for man's sin,

therefore, satisfying every demand of holy justice.

And through that precious blood, God showed Himself to be both

"Just and justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"

(Romans 3:26)

"We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,

according to the riches of His grace"

(Ephesians 1:7)

"You were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, 

from your vain manner of life... but with the precious blood of Christ,

as a Lamb without blemish and without spot"

(1 Peter 1:18-19)

Apart from Jesus Christ,  all people are separated from God. 

Sins rebellion forged a gulf between God and man

that is humanly impassable.

Yet, Christ's blood built the bridge from God to man. 
"Now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off
have been brought near by the blood of Christ"
(Ephesians 2:13)
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that, 
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,
we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him"
(Romans 5:8-9)
Human sin produces a pollution of the heart that can only
be cleansed by God's grace.  And that grace proves itself
in the power of Christ's sacrifice.
"The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, 
cleanses from all sin"
(1 John 1:7)
The Bible emphasizes Christ's blood because only in His sacrifice 
can we find forgiveness, cleansing, reconciliation, salvation and glory!

♡♡♡

Do you know the Savior, who's blood was shed upon Calvary' cross?

Thinking of you, dear friends,
and wishing you the blessings of God's grace,
the peace of His promise and the joy of His love. 

Be Gracious!
~ Debbie ~

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." 

******

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? 

******

"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 ~ 

Let us Rejoice!

Easter ~ Resurrection Sunday is my favorite

most blessed Holiday celebration.

My heart rejoices over what Christ

did for me on the cross.

What He did for me ~ He will do for you.

Last year my heart was bent towards

Mary Magdalene, and her love compassion and devotion

as she watched the Crucifixion of her Savior.
He is Worthy  was that Easter post
should you desire to read it.

This year I have pondered many times on
the two thieves beside Jesus on the cross.
( Luke 23:32-43)
~
The Crucifixion was gruesome.
 Jesus was stripped of His garments,
brutally beaten, spit on, pushed and slapped in the face.
 His hands and feet nailed to the cross,
which I might add, that He had to carry
until he collapsed under the weight of it,
was mocked by those at the cross, such as,
Jewish accusers, brutal Roman soldiers,
a crowd who called for Jesus' Crucifixion
and a mixture of secret and curious on lookers.

And yet ~ listen to Jesus in verse 34 of chapter 23
"Then said Jesus,
Father forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Utterly amazing!
Jesus' statement of forgiveness reveals the depth
of His love and grace for them and all humanity.
"But I say unto you,
love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
and do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you
and persecute you.
( Matthew 5:44)

~~~***~~~

As believers that is quite the act to follow.
It requires such an unnatural response that 
obeying it proves who belongs to God. 
The law did not teach hatred for ones enemies.
~
"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray,
thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee
lying under his burden,
and wouldest forbear to help him,
thou shalt surely help with him."
(Exodus 23:4&5) 

Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us,
hate us and exploit us selfishly.
Since a believers love is an act of the will,
and not simply an emotion,
God has the right to command us to love our enemies.
~
"For if, when we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life."
(Romans 5:10) 
God would have us to show this love by blessing
those who curse us, doing good to them and praying for them.
Have you ever noticed that when you pray for someone
you'd rather not ~ you find it easier to love them?
Prayer has a way of taking the poison out
of our heart attitudes
and we begin to love them as Christ would have us to. 
That puts our love in action
and we become more Christ~like.

 While on the cross Jesus loved His enemies,
those who hated Him, persecuted Him,
beat Him, spit on Him and hung Him there to die.
His love ~ so great ~ for you and me!
That is what causes me to ponder on the two
"malefactors" who were crucified with Jesus.
~
"Then there were the two thieves crucified with him,
one on the right hand,
and another on the left."
(Matthew 27:38)
~
It was providential that Jesus was crucified
between two thieves, for this gave both of them
access to the Savior.
Both of these men could read Pilate's superscription
"THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS"
and both of these men could watch Jesus
as He graciously gave His life
for the sins of the world. 

The one thief imitated the mockery
of the religious leaders.
"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him,
saying, if thou be the Christ, save thyself and us."
(Luke 23:39)
Now the other thief acted completely different.
"But the other answering rebuked him saying,
Dost not thou fear God,
seeing thou art in the same condemnation.
And we indeed justly;
for we receive the due reward of our deeds
but this man hath done nothing amiss."
(Luke 23:40&41)

This "malefactor" reasoned,
if this man is indeed the Christ, and if He has a kingdom,
and if He has saved others,
then could He not meet my greatest need
which is salvation from sin.
As this thief spoke out in verses 40&41
it had to have taken courage.
~
It took faith for this man to trust a dying King.
Jesus is dying, yet this mans faith is great!   
This man had obstacles to overcome.
I find his faith astounding!
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom."
And Jesus said unto him,
"Verily I say unto thee,
today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
(Luke 23:42&43)

O the emotion that floods my soul
as I write this.
Here this man calls out to Jesus ~ the King ~
and asks Jesus to "remember him."
This man was saved wholly by grace;
it was the glorious gift of God.
"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."
(Ephesians 2:8 9)

This man did not deserve it and he could not earn it.
By grace through faith this man
trusted in the Savior for his salvation.
His salvation was personal and secure,
guaranteed by the word of Jesus Christ.
~
Does that not cause us to rejoice?!
We, like the two thieves, have that same opportunity
of calling upon the name of the Lord for our salvation.
One "malefactor" mocked Jesus and rejected Him,
the other received Christ as his own personal Savior,
and is now with Jesus in paradise.

~~~***~~~

How about you?
If you have not received God's love, grace and mercy,
will you receive or reject Him?
Behold the Lamb of God!   
His love grace and mercy are His glory! 
Amen

Let us Rejoice!
~ Debbie ~ 


I'm joining the party with
Stephanie at "Roses of Inspiration"

He is Worthy

I would love to share with you what my Precious Lord, and Savior had for me leading up to Easter.

Yes, Easter has come and gone,

but the message of the trial, crucifixion, burial and victory in it all, 

should always be in our hearts as well as lived out in our lives. 

Some of you dear ladies had tremendous posts honoring and glorifying

our risen Savior, thank you!

" Heaven came down and glory filled my soul "

That is what happened in my life 31 years ago

when I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Have I heard the Easter story in those 31 years? Yes in deed!

Do I tire of it? Not at all!

But this year God had something new and wonderful for me!

Something I have heard and read many times over

in that Easter story.

Through God's Word I saw a glimpse of Mary Magdalene's life

after she was "healed" by Jesus.

( Not to be confused with the woman who anointed Jesus' head in Luke 7:37

or Mary the sister of Lazarus)

" And certain women, which had been healed

of evil spirits and infirmities,

Mary called Magdalene, out of whom

went seven devils."

Mary Magdalene, came from a city on the sea of Galilee called Magdala,

so "Magdalene" became her surname.

Mary was considered a woman of ill repute, because she came from 

a city with a repution for prostitution.

But, the Bible presents her as a pure,

though deeply afflicted, woman.

After Jesus healed her, she became one of the Lord's

most dedicated disciples,

remaining with Him throughout His

trial, crucifixion and burial.

This is where the hand of God takes hold of my heart.

~

This Mary, the Bible says;

 "Followed Him and ministered unto Him" (Mark 15:41)

What joy must have filled her heart as she ministered to Jesus!

~

This Mary,

"Stood afar off, beholding these things" (Luke 23:49)

I don't know about you, but for me,

my heart is greatly moved when I reflect

on all that took place at the cross for a lost and dying world.

~

The unfair trial...

The cruelty of the crucifixion...

The suffering and anguish as the Son of God, hung on that cross...

The cross that was made out of a tree that He had created.

Darkness that was over all the land and God had to forsake His Son... 

~

Mary Magdalene watched from a distance,

as her Savior, endured the cross.

The Christ who had healed her,,

the Christ, who transformed her life into something beautiful.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God,

but that he loved us,

and sent his Son to be the propitiation

for our sins."

(1 John 4:10)

~

This Mary,

" Was the first to see the empty tomb" (Mark 16:9)

~

This Mary,

"Was one of the first to worship the risen Christ" (Matthew 28:9)

"And as they went to tell his disciples,

behold, Jesus met them,

saying, All hail  ~  Rejoice! 

And they came and held him by the feet,

and worshiped him."

What a beautiful picture!

These words say it all;

"They held Him by His feet, and worshiped Him."

Absolutly possitively powerful!

Those words were both convicting and challanging to my heart.

I desire nothing more than to follow after the Christ, who died for me,

and to bow my heart in worship to a Holy and Righteous God,

who is worthy of all my praise.

~

 This Mary,

had an assignment from Jesus,

"Go to my brethren" and tell them the news. (John 20:21)

Jesus commanded His followers

not only to pray but to go out and serve and witness.

In (Matthew 28:16-20) we are given the "Great Commission"

to go... and make disciples,

baptizing them and

teaching them to obey. 

~

God is seeking believers who know that nothing

is impossible with Him.

He wants disciples who willingly follow with full trust in the Savior.

He wants us to take on His commision.

He formed us to do the impossible through His power,

and he wants us to be a part of the going and telling.

And let us not forget,

"lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

Our precious Heavenly Father,

may we, like Mary Magdalene,

allow you to heal and change our hearts.

Give us a passion to follow after Thee,

to bow our hearts in worship and adoration of who you are.

And by Your power and for Your sake, through the Spirit,

may we obey Your command

taking the Gospel , in love, to a lost and dying world.

Amen.

Be Lovely!

Debbie