Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17    "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

To me, there is no more powerful phrase in the scripture than, “then cometh Jesus.” Every scene that Jesus ever walked into became something powerful and exceptional. When He came into this world, the angels of heaven sang and declared His birth. When He came to be baptized of John, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God. When He came to the tomb of Lazarus, He raised Lazarus from the dead. When He came to the cross, we were washed white as snow in His blood.

When we are in a proper frame of mind concerning our own worthiness, we realize that we do not deserve to be in His presence. John did not feel worthy to baptize Jesus or to untie His shoes (John 1:27). Peter did not feel worthy to have Jesus bow and wash his feet (John 13:8). The centurion did not feel worthy for Jesus to come to his house (Matthew 8:8). We have never done anything on our own that makes us worthy of Jesus coming into our lives (Titus 3:5).

So, why did Jesus come? It was necessary in order for all the righteous will of God to be fulfilled (Matthew 3:15). He came to do the Father’s will in bringing salvation to His children (John 6:38). He came that we might live an abundant life in the love and grace of God (John 10:10). He came as our example as to how we should treat each other (John 13:15). He came because of His great love wherewith He has loved us (Ephesians 2:4-7).  

Dear ones, may we be blessed to rejoice today that Jesus still comes to us. May we heed His example in all things. May we live in awe that He would be mindful of undeserving sinners and show us grace and mercy. And may we always expect wondrous things when He comes, knowing that the Father is always well pleased with the work of His Son!

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Psalm 88:1-4

Psalm 88:1-4  A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:  (2)  Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;  (3)  For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.  (4)  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength" I've said this before and I will say it again (and probably more times before we get to the end of the Psalms) - I love the Psalms because I can surely identify with them. Most Psalms start in a low place and as the writer expresses his thoughts, the Lord begins to lift him up out of that dry place.  Though this entire Psalm is a fervent cry unto the Lord, the Psalmist tells us specifically in three verses that he cried daily unto the Lord. Just a few Psalms ago, we were reminded that God always hears our prayers. ...

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

Daily Devotion: Knowing God By Bearing Fruit

Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...