I baptize you my sister.....

Mercie and Eli watching Mikaela.


Mikaela and her daddy - baptism day.

"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him." (Matthew 3:16)

There is nothing quite as beautiful to me as a new Christian being baptized. I love the powerful message that is presented by a simple, symbolic act of obedience.

My son-in-law had the privilege of baptizing his precious daughter, Mikaela, on Sunday. It brought tears of joy to my eyes, as my sweet grandbaby followed her salvation experience with this precious act of baptism.

The total immersion in water signifies the burial of all our sins. The water washes away all of our uncleanliness. The water cleanses our souls for all eternity.

Then we come up out of the water, a new creation. Ready for our newness of life. Ready for a life that brings glory and honor to our God.

Our salvation is not dependent upon our baptism. Baptism is merely our first act of obedience that follows our decision to become a child of the King.

Our salvation is dependent upon one thing only. The grace that our precious Father extends to us and our acceptance of that free gift He offers.

Ephesians 2:8 tells us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God"

We can do absolutely nothing to earn our salvation. There isn't anything that we ourselves can do to obtain this precious gift. It's already been done. God did everything for us when He sent His Son to die on the cross for all mankind. Jesus paid the price for us at Calvary with His precious blood.

We simply admit that we are sinners. Romans 3:23 tells us that we have ALL sinned. We then must believe in our heart, that Jesus is the Son of God. We must believe that He came to earth and was born of a virgin, was crucified and buried, rose again on the 3rd day, ascended into heaven and that He is coming again one day.

We must also confess Him to others. Telling others how to receive the free gift of salvation and eternal life. Telling others about Jesus - the Son of God.

Salvation is free. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it. Once accepted, we can't lose it. Christ died on the cross at Calvary one time. For all sins. For everybody, everywhere. For all time.

Baptism in itself doesn't cause an inward change. It doesn't alter our relationship with God in any way. It is an outward indication of what has already taken place inside a believer's heart and life.

Salvation is the first step toward a life that is made complete with our precious Savior, Jesus.

I praise You, Lord for the free gift of salvation. I thank You for having mercy on me. A sinner unworthy of all that You offer. A sinner saved by Grace only through my faith in You. Thank You for my precious granddaughter and what you are doing in her life already. I praise you for who you are. I praise You because You are worthy of my praise. I love You and I give You all the honor and glory that is due You.