Amazing love... How can it be? A Resurrection Gift...

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?

   Amazing love! how can it be
   That Thou, my Lord, shouldst die for me?
                      [Charles Wesley  1780]

She was freed from seven devils by the power of Jesus, and she joined the women who accompanied the disciples. She was from Magdala, on the Southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. 

She could not comprehend how this Prophet whom the disciples called "The Son of God" would show her such unmerited kindness and mercy.  How could she ever repay Him?

She remembered how Simon Peter spoke of a parable that Jesus taught of two debtors, saying, "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered Him and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And Jesus said to him, "You have rightly judged."  

Jesus spoke this parable of the women who had anointed His feet with a costly flask of fragrant oil during dinner in a Pharisee's house. He continued the parable, saying to Simon and the others, "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."

She watched as the Lord and His disciples traveled throughout Galilee and the surrounding area performing miracles and ministering to the masses.  She observed firsthand how the crowds grew in anticipation of a conquering King. Then they began to fall away when their expectations did not materialize.  

Who was this Jesus Who had commanded the demons to flee and the Spirit of God to come into her heart? 

Mary recalled that He often withdrew privately to pray to His Father.  She reminisced how He taught with authority and wisdom, confounding the lawyers and Pharisees.  He had preached to all who would listen, often late into the day. She and the others frequently heard the parables Jesus shared as He instructed the people in the ways of righteousness and Kingdom living.

Then she relived the horrors of the days leading up to His crucifixion with the criminals. She recalled the humiliation and pain, and the gore that surrounded His death. Her tears and those of His mother Mary, as well as the other women who witnessed the Roman punishment, had been bitter and frequent since that fateful day.  

When Joseph of Arimathea and Nichodemus secured His body from Pilate, they took the strips of linen with the spices, as was the custom of the Jews, and prepared Him for burial.  Mary also went with the wife of Clopas (Mary) and Salome the mother of James and John with additional spices to the tomb to pay homage to the slain Son of God..

On the Sabbath - the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark. As she stood there she observed that the stone had been taken away. She ran and found Simon Peter and John - crying and pleading with them - asking them where her Lord had been taken.  They were both stunned and ran to the tomb. John arrived at and peered into the tomb first. Peter quickly followed and went inside the tomb to discover the linen cloths and handkerchief lying on the stone.

Mary recalled the pain in her heart as she longed to see her Savior once again. She stood outside by the empty tomb in disbelief. She recalled the encounter with the two heavenly messengers clothed in white as they sat - one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had laid. They asked her why she was weeping, and Mary said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

She heard Jesus say to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"  And then she said to Him, supposing Him to be the gardener, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Mary then grinned as she recalled her response to His calling out her name, "Mary!"  She surprised herself at her quick heartfelt shout of, "Rabboni!". 

Yes - Mary's heart was filled with gratitude and amazement as she gazed into heaven while Jesus  ascended to His Father. That was a day she would never forget...

(Scripture references:  Luke 7:40-47; John 19:38-42; John 20:1-18)

What about you?  As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday - what is your response to the Risen Lord?  Are you also amazed at His gracious love and mercy?  Do you gaze heavenward in anticipation of His return?

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It was written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together.   Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

Amazing love... How can it be? A Resurrection Gift...

The Christmas Gift

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (II Corinthians 9:15)

Christmas isn’t just about the gifts, or is it?  We all know it’s better to give than to receive. Sometimes we spend months looking for just the right gift to give. We often take the time to wrap it with colorful paper, ribbons and bows. Presentation is everything! Once in a while we’ll try to get the recipient to “guess” what’s inside. There’s just something about gift giving that can be so exhilarating!

Matthew Chapter 2 tells us, “When they [Magi] had come into the house they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” These were precious gifts fit for royalty, which had been transported for hundreds of miles. The wise men had followed a bright star which had originated in the East, and had led them to the specific dwelling place of the Christ Child.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is in the 4th Chapter of John. Jesus had a Divine appointment with a woman in Samaria. His disciples had gone into town to purchase food and provisions. While they were gone, Jesus remained by Jacob’s well, weary from the journey. The woman came out at noonday to fetch water because she was an outcast in the community. As she drew the water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink”, to which she replied that Jews don’t normally have social contact with Samaritans. Verse 10 is the best part! Jesus said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Jesus goes on to explain in verse 14 (after her rant about Abraham and their shared heritage) “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst…” 

Christ had extended her the favor of grace. Verse 15 tells us she wanted that gift right then and there! She was tired of her old life and knew He had something real to offer. She basically said, “Show me where to sign-up! I’m ready!” Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The woman at the well knew she was in sin and would face her Maker. God’s Righteousness demands a payment for sin. Jesus shared the good news with her that God’s Gift was indeed standing before her. He offered her eternal life in exchange for eternal separation from God. God in the flesh offered her the greatest token of His love.

Jesus meets us right where we are – ready to give us The Gift of God. Of course, it’s available anytime – not just at Christmas! James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” No one knows how to give gifts like Our Heavenly Father!  Matthew 7:11 states, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, now much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who as Him!”

Your greatest gift is what Jesus has already prepared for you… He is just waiting for you to accept it!  God sent Jesus in the flesh  -  Emmanuel  - “God with us” - 2000+ years ago.  

Make this your best Christmas ever!

To view a presentation by the Billy Graham Evangelical Assoc. on how to become a Christian, please visit this link: http://bit.ly/hHxb7z   (Steps to Peace with God)

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together.   Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

The Christmas Gift

The Cross Is Passing By - Are You Ready?

Tiepolo - Christ Carrying the Cross

"Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him." (Luke 23:26-27)

I have always imagined what the people thought as they watched Jesus being led from Pilate's courtyard through the city of Jerusalem up to the hillside of Calvary to be crucified.

Surely some of the crowd that witnessed the travesty of an innocent man condemned to death in the place of a hardened, habitual criminal would follow the procession.  Many of them recognized Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, or perhaps from his teaching along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had healed many men, women and children throughout Judea.  Can you imagine the sick feeling they had in the pit of their stomach as they saw him bloody and battered?  Don't you wonder how they felt as they watched the synagogue leaders and elders participate in his unlawful arrest and sentencing?

Imagine finding yourself on the very road that the Roman soldiers were clearing a path for Jesus and the two others with him. There would have been a loud commotion from the troops as shouts and commands echoed in the narrow streets. People were being shoved and prodded as their curiosity caused them to peer into the throng that surrounded the Man from Nazareth. 

At that time the cross portrayed death and destruction.  It reminded the people in Jerusalem of their Roman occupiers. It was a symbol of the heavy-handed punishment administered for insurrection and threats to Caesar's rule.

As the cross passed by - the people were indifferent. They were not ready for its impact.  They had no idea that it would come to represent freedom and liberty.  

The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 1:17-18 "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

That "power" is the resurrection power that overcame the sting of the grave. Those who believe on Jesus Christ will never see spiritual death. The cross symbolizes an eternal truth: Christ's cross is life giving. Jesus is the Living Hope for all eternity.  (Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14)

Easter is a season of new birth and renewal.  If you want to know more about how you can have a personal relationship with God, please visit this link:        Billy Graham's - Steps to Peace With God

Easter is coming.  The cross is passing by.  What will you do with it?

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

The Cross Is Passing By - Are You Ready?

Truth or Consequences? You Have A Choice...

There are sins and there are secret sins - but there are no hidden sins from the Lord.

Is there something you'd rather not reveal to your family about your past?  Perhaps you stuffed a personal memory deep down into your psyche - hoping it would never surface again. 

Are you staring full-face at the consequences of your past sin?  Maybe you came from a background full of cheap and dishonorable actions. News Flash:  God already knows about it...so confess it and move forward!

There may be a situation in your marriage that will require a hard choice to be made. Your spouse might have done something that deeply hurt or offended you, and now you are faced with a dilemma: respond in a Christ centered way, or the world's way, which inevitably leads to remorse.  

You may be harboring resentment towards God for something you think He should have done differently in your marriage or family.  Maybe you're upset because you were sure you heard from God, and now you doubt yourself and His plans for you. 

It's time for Truth or Consequences - God's Way

Here's a great example of what happens when we allow ourselves to be disillusioned...

In II Samuel 12:1-12, King David was confronted by the prophet Nathan over his horrific sin.  This included lusting after and taking another man's wife, purposing to frame him for the pregnancy, and eventually plotting to kill him to cover up his own sin.  David was oblivious to the fact that it was him that the prophet was speaking of in the story he was telling the King.  God directed Nathan to tell David, "You are the man!" 

After declaring to David that God had indeed blessed him, and would have done even more to exalt him in the eyes of Israel, Nathan proceeded to deliver an admonishment to the King directly from God, and pronounce a prophesy of doom on him and his household for the evil he had done. David was at a crossroads and he had a choice to make.  He admitted the secret sins and wailed, "I have sinned against the LORD."   

At that moment, Nathan said to him, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.  However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die."  It was a horrendous penalty to pay for his sins, and it involved an innocent victim.  King David chose rightly because he admitted his sin and accepted the consequences. He knew who God was and His righteous character.

David wrote many of the stirring Psalms that we so dearly embrace and recite in times of despair.  He used the time of restoration after his fall from grace to extol the virtues and mercies of God for all to reflect upon.  He spent countless nights praising his LORD and giving thanks for the mighty hand that guided him into truth and grace, as he sought to live out his days as a "man after God's own heart."   David pleaded with God to punish him, but not the child.  However, God's Word stood and David accepted the consequence.  He showed a level of maturity that we need to embrace.  What David did right was to "shut himself in with God" and reflect on what had transpired.  

II Samuel 12:17-18 tells us that David spent one week quiet before the LORD, and didn't even leave his house!  When you are distressed and in deep despair, get alone with God and His Word.  Do some true soul searching.  Bring all of your hurts and disappointments to Him. He will regenerate your thinking to line up with His thoughts, and align your will with His.  Instead of letting disappointment overtake him, David ultimately accepted the circumstances and praised God for them.  


What took place next is amazing.  Verse 20 tells us that, "David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped."  

David arose in the newness of God's grace, and came forth from the grave of self-pity and defeat.  

He was regenerated by God's promises and the timeless truths from His Word.  David was sure he would see his son again in the ages to come. He confidently said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ “But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”  David forgave himself and was at peace with God once again.

Isaiah 61:3 declares the LORD will, "console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness..."   Psalm 30:5 states, "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."  

David saw the dawn of a new day in God's sovereignty.

When we have come face to face with a crisis that tears at the very core of your being, that is when we must go to God and lean on His mercies, and gain strength from Who He Is.  Rest assured that His grace will be sufficient and His power adequate to sustain you in your weakness (II Corinthians 12: 9-10).


There is freedom in forgiveness. May we also be gracious towards God and release Him from our human judgments and expectations. 

Bless the Lord oh my soul…

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share this post with others.

Truth or Consequences? You Have A Choice...