Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Thursday, December 15, 2022

QT 12/15/2022 Matt 3:13-17, Amazing and unbelievable

Matthew 3:13–17 (ESV) —

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

NOTE: In the bible, God the Father rarely speaks out loud, audibly. He did thunder from the mountain in Sinai; he speaks here at the baptism; again at the transfiguration; and possibly another time at the end of time. The Father does speak through representatives, through his word, through the son, and through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, these audible messages are significant moments in history. One of the most significant is Jesus' start of his ministry. God fulfilled his promise to send a savior. There was no one worthy except to send himself, the second person of the trinity. He tabernacle'd (dwelt) among us. We beheld the glory that no temple or church building could ever contain. The Christmas season is a reminder of the amazing thing God did for us, because he loved us. But, we choose to love our sin instead of our creator.

 

PONDER:

  1. Do I realize how amazing it is that God intervene in human history to save me?
  2. And how is that truly shown in my life? Can people see Jesus in my life? Or do people hate Jesus because of my poor witness?

 

PRAYER: Father, the incarnation and the baptism were amazing points in history. The put a spotlight on the unbelievable, the amazing, the never-before seen or understood acts of yours. I pray this season, we would meditate on the wonder of the season and of our savior.

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