SCRIPTURE:
“At that time
Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the
Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being
torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came
from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
(Mark 1:9-11, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself who are all the CHARACTERS involved:
1. Jesus
2. John
3. Spirit
4. Voice
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself what
happened as Jesus was coming up out of the water!
1. Jesus saw heaven being torn open.
2.
Jesus saw the Spirit descending on Him like a Dove.
3. A voice came from heaven
Observations/Interpretations:
I decided to look at the 3 points more closely
and I was reminded of the previous devotional
S.T.A.N.D
to remember the
reasons for the praise.
I asked
myself what is the significance of each point?
Point 1:
Jesus saw heaven being torn open.
That is so amazing that Jesus saw heaven being torn open because He was
baptized in the Jordan by John. Heaven opened as Jesus identified with
humanity when He was willing to be baptized. Coming up out of the water reminded me of baptism by immersion as
opposed to baptism by sprinkling. If people want to be baptized, it
would be awesome to be baptized as Jesus was baptized in the water. That
is my preference!
Not
only that but something remarkable happened which is evident in
Point 2.
Point
2: ‘Jesus saw the Spirit descending on Him like a Dove!’
When the heaven was torn open and the Spirit descended on Jesus like a
dove, I was reminded of Jesus as the Prince of Peace because dove is
usually seen as a symbol of peace. This is the first instance we
see the Spirit descending on Jesus after Jesus was willing to be
baptized. The crowds who were there witnessed it too as revealed in another
Gospel. It did not end there which is evident by Point 3.
Point 3:
A voice came from heaven.
I asked myself what was
the content message of the voice and the significance of each point?
After the Spirit descended on Jesus, the voice
said 3 things:
-
You are my Son.
-
Whom I love.
-
With you I am well pleased.
I decided to look at these 3 statements:
Statement 1: You are my Son.
The voice is giving identity to
Jesus for humans benefit. I believe even as Jesus began to relate with
humanity, the voice made many in the crowd to realize Jesus has
characteristics of divinity. All of the people there were probably Jews
who were waiting and expecting a Messiah to deliver them from Rome and
what they have been going through. Now Jesus comes up out of the water
after being baptized and a voice says, 'You are my
Son'. This has to remind people of the prophesy again from the
Book of Isaiah specifically Isaiah 9:6 which states,
"For to us a child is born, to us a SON is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE OF PEACE."
Jesus is referred to there as MIGHTY GOD and also EVERLASTING
FATHER to reveal characteristics of His divinity even in His humanity as
He walked the earth.
The voice does not stop there which is evident by point 2.
Statement 2: Whom I love.
This is so cool to know that the
voice actually lets Jesus know that He is loved. It can be an awesome
feeling when someone tells you that they love you. It gives a sense of
belonging and worthiness. I believe the voice is speaking to the crowds
already there including John, the Baptist to let them know that Jesus is the One they
have been waiting for. Emphasis is placed on love after Jesus is
baptized. The voice can be inferred to as God's voice who lets
Jesus, His Son know that He is loved.
Do we tell others we love them when we love
them or keep it to ourselves?
It does not end there which is evident by point 3.
Statement 3: With you I am well pleased.
Jesus is being praised by the voice for His
actions. The voice is not just pleased but well pleased to emphasize the
complete praise given to His Son. Jesus knows
that and those around could have been informed about that too. Again, I was reminded of the previous devotional
S.T.A.N.D
to remember the
reasons for the praise.
Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. When people do right it is so important to
praise them! A word of encouragement and praise goes a long way! This
reminds me of public praise as opposed to private praise for doing
right. Jesus was praised in front of the crowds gathered there. I need
to do the same by praising those who do right not only privately but
publicly for their actions.
I ask you now friend, how
is your loving praise?
Dear friend, if you are in a position to praise
someone, take that opportunity to praise them in public for their good
works. This will not only boost their level of competency because they
don’t want to disappoint but it will also increase their level of
responsibility as they gain confidence. This way those around them may also want to change and
improve.
Will you praise Jesus in
front of others for what He has done in your life?
One way you can do that is by letting others
know what an awesome God you serve. Jesus in His humanity also has the
qualities and characteristics of His Divinity which are elaborated more
in the Gospel of John.
You can praise Jesus privately
or publicly! You can praise Jesus near your friends, near your
co-workers, at a worship service, etc. When Jesus came to relate to humanity, He did it
because of His love for you. Yes, friend He loves you so much and you
are never out of His love and never out of His reach. He loves you as
you are and reaches out to you.
I don't know what you are going through but
Jesus does. One thing I know is it may not have been easy for Jesus to
have trekked three days so He could be baptized in the Jordan, yet He
did it. He overcame that obstacle to fulfill His obedience to the
Father. Whatever you are facing Jesus knows about it. Take it to the
Lord in prayer!
Whether you are facing issues with classes,
relationships, family, job, work, athletics, etc, Jesus wants to be there for you. Yes,
He does! Sometimes it could be hard to move ahead and you may even feel
so lonely because of the situation you may be in and Jesus knows that
pain and He feels your pain. Yes, He does. Come as you are to Jesus for
He will carry you.
Our family has experienced the love of Jesus tremendously as my
brothers and I recently lost our beloved dad and my mom lost her beloved
husband of 37 years. We have so much to praise Jesus for throughout this
ordeal from the time my dad became seriously sick in October 2007 to the
time he went to be with the Lord in December 2007.
We have seen miracle after miracle extending our dad's life which is
a praise to Father God. We have also been blessed to have a nursing
staff that believed in the Lord Jesus Christ who supported my mom in the
hospital 24-7. We have been blessed with wonderful employers who have
been there for us and have been blessed with a wonderful church and its
members.
I am a member of Oakland International Fellowship which has been a
tremendous help to our family especially certain members of my cell
group: Potter's Clay. I was also really touched by the church two of my
brothers go to called International Christian Fellowship in Maryland.
There pastor and elders drove all the way from Maryland to sing songs to
my dad, anoint his head with oil, and pray for him. Amazingly, after
that he was able to be of the ventilator for almost a month.
My dad could have died in October 2007 because when the paramedics
came, they actually asked us, 'How long has he been dead?' which was
really scary. I went to a private room and kept praying to Jesus to
restore life to my dad and He did. The Lord Jesus in His mercy gave us
few more months with our dad and our praises to Him cannot be expressed
in words.
I don't want you to think that Jesus should only be praised when
things go well. No, friend, Jesus deserves our praise all the time
because of who He is and what He has already done for us. Friend, I
remember when we were all going to the funeral of my dad, my mom would
continue to read aloud Psalms as she asked each of us which Psalm we
would like to hear. Even at the Gate of Heaven cemetery in Maryland, we
heard praises to the Lord Jesus being read from the Psalms by our mom.
Praise the Lord Jesus for life given to us by Him! Never take life
lightly and do all you can promote the sanctity of life. Speaking of the
sanctity of life, please join me and others from Beautiful Choice, the
Pro-Life group on campus as we head to the January 22, March for Life
2008 in Washington, D.C. this Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. in front of St.
Paul's Cathedral. The good news is it is FREE to go. You will be going
with other Pitt students and if you wanted to be interviewed, you could
be by the Pittsburgh Standard for its March for Life 2008 special
edition.
So no matter what we go through and how hard life is, let us rest in
the Lord Jesus Christ and give Him our praise.
Won't you reach out to
Jesus in praise and love?
Praise Him
(c) copyright 2008, BY Ramesh C. Reddy
Past looks dim!
Praise Him!
Present looks dim!
Praise Him!
Future looks dim!
Praise Him!
Hands lifted above!
We receive Your love!
Hands lifted above!
We receive Your love!
Hands lifted above!
We receive your love!
Jesus, we praise!
Our hands raise!
To Heaven we gaze!
Jesus we praise!
Our hands raise!
To Heaven we gaze!
Past looks dim!
Praise Him!
Present looks dim!
Praise Him!
Future looks dim!
Praise Him!
Amen!
Jesus waits for you! Yes, He does friend! Now is
the time. Don't wait but make your life a worshipful sacrifice to the
Lord. Your spiritual act of worship can be the way you live your life
for the Lord. There are many ways to worship the Lord and it does not
always have to be singing.
May you experience the love of Jesus in your
life! Amen!
“Prayerfully Reiterate Almighty Immanuel's Service Everyday!” (P.R.A.I.S.E)/"How
is your loving praise?"
Prayer:
Jesus thank you so much
for what you have helped me to learn. I learned Jesus that when you came
up out of the water, you were given praise by Father God. You were also
told that you were loved and Father God was well pleased with you. I was
excited to read that. Also, to know the Spirit descended on you like a
dove. Wow, Lord! I love you Jesus and give my praise to you for all you
have done in my life and will continue to do. Lord, you deserve our
praise no matter how our life is and help us to do that. Help us to
remember those that have gone before us who have praised you no matter
what they were faced with Lord from Horatio who wrote the wonderful
Hymn, 'It is well with my soul' when he lost most of his family in a
terrible storm at sea to all the others who have lifted their praises to
you even in persecution and continue to do so. Let our lives be a
sacrificial praise to you Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus! Thank
you that we could praise you even with a simple song as above. I love you Jesus and need you.
Thank you Jesus that we are never out of your love, never out of your
reach. You are there for us always and we yield our lives to you. Help
us to praise you daily in our lives. Thank you so much Jesus. Forgive
ours sins and help us please. We thank you for your help Oh Lord. We
trust in you for guidance. Thank you for being there for us and we give
our lives to thee. In Your Name We Pray Jesus! Amen!
