Good morning! Last night I experienced such a proud Dad moment! We played an amazing song together (It Is Finished by Passion), me on the keys, Josh on the saxophone and my niece did a beautiful job singing the song! To see the hard work that he put into practicing and ensuring he was able to play the right notes with the correct tone was inspiring! Watching back the video and seeing his confidence and poise blows me away.
I think back to my childhood and try to remember what I was like at his age and I don’t think I was anywhere near where he is when it comes to his love for God and love for others. He is considerate, thoughtful, kind, helpful, and has such a great personality! I thank God for this kid daily!
And just when I think it can’t get any better, tonight he is getting water baptized! There has been so much growth in this young boy’s life this year and I know that God has an incredible plan for his life to leave an eternal impact on the people around him.
Watching my son grow is one of the most enjoyable things to experience as a parent, but at the same time it is one of the hardest things to watch the growing pains. As wonderful as my boy is, he is still a kid and has a lot to learn about life. Having to sit back sometimes and watch him experience pain and hurt is one of those things that is necessary for him to be able to grow and figure things out for himself.
When Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, He was doing this as an act of obedience to His Father. John did not want to baptize Jesus at first saying, “I need to be baptized by You.” But listen to the response from Jesus.
“Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.”
Matthew 3:15
Jesus taking this step of being baptized in water tells us a couple different things. When He used the phrase ‘it is proper,’ He was saying that this was necessary; this was something that He had to do. He was identifying with the sinfulness of humanity – even though He had never sinned Himself!
It also foreshadows His death, burial, and resurrection! When a person is water baptized, they are put under the water fully submerged and raised back up out of the water. The symbolism here is that our old lives – the way we lived before experiencing the love of God – are buried with all of our sin and shame; and we are raised to new life with Jesus through the power of His resurrection! There is something special that happened when Jesus came up out of the water.
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16-17
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all revealed in this moment. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus to empower Him as He began His ministry, and the Father shows up to make it known that Jesus is His Son and He is proud of Him! He verbalizes the fact that Jesus is accepted in His obedience and sinlessness for the work that He would eventually complete on the cross – the ultimate sacrifice once and for all!
When I read moments like this where God is interacting with His Son Jesus, I begin to relate my interactions with my own son. I continue to express my approval of him in every situation – while encouraging him to live for Jesus and not for me. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that God experienced seeing His only Son in agony, knowing that what Jesus was about to do was necessary but would ultimately bring separation between them for the very first time!
When Jesus took all of our sin and shame upon Himself and willingly laid down His life as a perfect sacrifice, He cries out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” This speaks about a relational separation in that moment.
What excruciating heartache they both must have felt in that moment, yet they continued to follow through with the plan of redemption for one reason – God’s unmatchable and perfect LOVE for YOU!
Yes, YOU! God’s love for you is what caused Him to send His only Son to the earth for the purpose of being the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus’ love for you is what caused Him to willingly lay down His life for you! And while this is a somber moment, the best is what happens next!
Today, let’s take a moment to express our gratitude for the sacrifice made on our behalf. Think about how we can live our lives in a sacrificial way to honor the work that was done for us.
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You would send Your only Son to take our place – that is a sacrifice all in itself! Then Your Son, Jesus would willingly lay down His life for us so that we could experience what He loved – fellowship and communion with You! Help us to not rush past this moment, but to recognize the significance and magnitude of what was done for us! Help us to respond to Your love with a heart of surrender. In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 