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01-08-2007, 07:41 AM
Meditation
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
Readings
The Baptism of the Lord
Jesus may have taught his disciples divine wisdom, but this wisdom was filtered through the sometimes gritty, always human experience he had as a man living in first-century Palestine. This means that the words of Jesus on forgiving others reflect not only divine wisdom but his own experience as well. He could say that giving was better than receiving because he had given himself completely and received with great measure from his Father. And likewise, he could speak about the power of the Holy Spirit because, as a man, he himself had been filled with the Spirit—a truth publicly manifested on the banks of the Jordan River.
At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (Luke 3:22). This anointing began a new stage in Jesus’ life. His public ministry would now be characterized by an outward display of miracles, preaching with authority, victory over demons, and more. There could be no doubt about it: Something very dramatic was introduced into the world on that day.
Do you know what happened to you when you were baptized? Do you know how much God is prepared to do in you and through you because you have received the Holy Spirit? Like Jesus, your baptism included power for ministry, with an added and amazing bonus. At your baptism, you (or your godparents) didn’t just give your life to God. God gave his eternal life to you.
Along with the power to move the gospel out into the world, you have received a fundamental interior change. You are no longer bound to sin and death. You have been baptized, immersed, in the life of God. You are a new creation. Because the same Spirit that flowed in Jesus now flows in you, you have been made a sharer in Jesus’ divine nature. Take time this week to read some of the following Scripture passages on baptism: Acts 2:38-39; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Titus 3:4-7; and 1 Peter 1:3-4. Ponder these verses, and let God awaken your imagination and fill you with great expectation for all that you can become in Christ.
Almighty God, I am amazed at what you have given me in Christ! Open the eyes of my heart to see the spiritual blessings that are mine. Expand my understanding so that I may grasp all that is mine through baptism.
Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalm 29:1-4,9-10
--Online Christian Daily Devotion
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
Readings
The Baptism of the Lord
Jesus may have taught his disciples divine wisdom, but this wisdom was filtered through the sometimes gritty, always human experience he had as a man living in first-century Palestine. This means that the words of Jesus on forgiving others reflect not only divine wisdom but his own experience as well. He could say that giving was better than receiving because he had given himself completely and received with great measure from his Father. And likewise, he could speak about the power of the Holy Spirit because, as a man, he himself had been filled with the Spirit—a truth publicly manifested on the banks of the Jordan River.
At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (Luke 3:22). This anointing began a new stage in Jesus’ life. His public ministry would now be characterized by an outward display of miracles, preaching with authority, victory over demons, and more. There could be no doubt about it: Something very dramatic was introduced into the world on that day.
Do you know what happened to you when you were baptized? Do you know how much God is prepared to do in you and through you because you have received the Holy Spirit? Like Jesus, your baptism included power for ministry, with an added and amazing bonus. At your baptism, you (or your godparents) didn’t just give your life to God. God gave his eternal life to you.
Along with the power to move the gospel out into the world, you have received a fundamental interior change. You are no longer bound to sin and death. You have been baptized, immersed, in the life of God. You are a new creation. Because the same Spirit that flowed in Jesus now flows in you, you have been made a sharer in Jesus’ divine nature. Take time this week to read some of the following Scripture passages on baptism: Acts 2:38-39; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Titus 3:4-7; and 1 Peter 1:3-4. Ponder these verses, and let God awaken your imagination and fill you with great expectation for all that you can become in Christ.
Almighty God, I am amazed at what you have given me in Christ! Open the eyes of my heart to see the spiritual blessings that are mine. Expand my understanding so that I may grasp all that is mine through baptism.
Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalm 29:1-4,9-10
--Online Christian Daily Devotion