"And a voice from Heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17
How appropriate. Can you picture the sequence of events that precede this statement? Jesus comes from Galilee expressly for the purpose of having John the Baptist baptize Him. John resists out of respect and deference. Jesus explains that this is what He and John have to do and now.
John of course relents and consents, and baptizes the Lord (how did that feel?) As soon as He comes up out of the water, Spirit of God descends like a dove and lights on Jesus. (Must have been an amazing sight) Then verse 17, a voice from heaven says, 'This is my Son', (that confirmation alone, is huge), 'whom I love' (rarely quoted, but brought me to tears today....God the Father, expressing to God the Son *love* when God is *love*. Wow!-- can you wrap your mind around that moment?) 'With Him, I am well pleased' (at this time in history I am sure God is not pleased about much, but with His Son, He is, of course, well pleased) If you have missed the total illustration of the Trinity in this passage, see it now. The Father, The Son, The Spirit... Three in one and One in three. So clear! Maybe I am just a little tender-hearted today, but this moves me. The Father loving His Son, knowing what is ahead. The Spirit, playing the empowering role. The Son, obedient and fulfilling the Scriptures and Prophecies. This Father and His Son, and The Spirit love me and you too. Just wonderful isn't it? Enjoy this moment, brought to you by who God is. God is love.
With that love,
Pastor Fred
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What's interesting about this to me is that just yesterday, I was searching the scriptures for any and everything I could find on "God's love" for me - not just His love in general, but His love for me, specifically. A little overwhelmed by where to start, I decided that if I wanted to know and feel God’s love, I needed to start with Jesus. Isn’t it funny (and SOO like God) that 24 hours later you’ve posted a devotional pertaining to precisely what I was searching for yesterday? He never fails to answer us in our time of need. It’s not that I doubt that He loves me, but it occurred to me that so often I thank Him for His love without really having a personal and physical revelation of that love. Does that make sense? I mean, I know my mom loves me and to feel that love I can receive from her a hug. I know my husband loves me, but if I start to doubt I can always go to him, physically touch him, and audibly hear from him that he does. I sometimes think that I go only through the motions of receiving God’s love. “Thank You, Father, for your amazing love,” might be something I frequently say. However, I’ve noticed lately that though the words come from my mouth, the hug from God is absent from around my body, the tender touch empty from my heart. So, to remedy this, I began looking for Jesus through the scriptures. “God, I need to really know and feel your love in a way that goes far beyond just saying the words,’ I told Him as I started my journey. Looks like day two of my quest He used your devotional to continue leading my path. :) He is so amazing in how He chooses to surprise us with answers, guidance, and most of all, love. Thank you, Pastor, for always being His vessel.
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