Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Matthew 3
Set – 1 Samuel 18; Psalms 11; Matthew 3
Go! – 1 Samuel 18; 1 Chronicles 6; Psalms 11; Matthew 3
Matthew 3
1 Around the same time, a man called John began to travel, preach, and ritually wash people through baptism in the wilderness of Judea. John preached a stern but exciting message.John: 2 Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near.
3 John’s proclamation fulfilled a promise made by the ancient prophet Isaiah, who had said, “There will be a voice calling from the desert, saying,
Prepare the road for the Eternal One’s journey;
repair and straighten out every mile of our God’s highway.”
4 John wore wild clothes made from camel hair with a leather belt around his waist—the clothes of an outcast, a rebel. He ate locusts and wild honey.5 People from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and indeed from all around the river Jordan came to John. 6 They confessed their sins, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan.
7 He told some Pharisees and Sadducees who came for the ritual baptism,
John: You children of serpents! You brood of vipers! Did someone suggest you flee from the wrath that is upon us? 8-9 If you think that simply hopping in the Jordan will cleanse you, then you are sorely mistaken. Your life must bear the fruits of turning toward righteousness. Nor are you correct if you think that being descended from Abraham is enough to make you holy and right with God. Yes, the children of Abraham are God’s chosen children, but God can adopt as daughters and sons anyone He likes—He can turn these stones into sons if He likes.
10 Even now there is an ax poised at the root of every tree, and every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and tossed into the fire. 11 I ritually cleanse you through baptism as a mark of turning your life around. But someone is coming after me, someone whose sandals I am not fit to carry, someone who is more powerful than I. He will wash you not in water but in fire and with the Holy Spirit. 12 He carries a winnowing fork in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor; He will gather up the good wheat in His barn, and He will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.
13 And then, the One of whom John spoke—the all-powerful Jesus—came to the Jordan from Galilee to be washed by John. 14 At first, John demurred.
John: I need to be cleansed by You. Why do You come to me?
Jesus: 15 It will be right, true, and faithful to God’s chosen path for you to cleanse Me with your hands in the Jordan River.
John agreed, and he ritually cleansed Jesus, dousing Him in the waters of the Jordan. 16 Jesus emerged from His baptism; and at that moment heaven was opened, and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him, alighting on His very body.
Voice from Heaven: 17 This is My Son, whom I love; this is the Apple of My eye; with Him I am well pleased.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Not many people want to change places with John the Baptist. It might sound cool to baptize My son in the Jordan and announce the beginning of his ministry to the world, but…
Even in Jesus’ day, camel hair clothes and only sporadic baths in the desert didn’t exactly draw the fashion crowd. John could probably smell himself. It was only because of My message he attracted anyone at all. But then again, the message wasn’t exactly the popular theme of the day either.
John cried for repentance. He pled for those who came to him to cast off the ritual of the temple just for the sake of practicing rituals as many of My earlier prophets did. He made a lot of enemies among the religious…few among the righteous. I gave him a hard mission trumpeting My arrival in flesh and blood. I knew few would believe him. I knew he would have at least as difficult a time as the prophets before him.
John never backed away from his task, though. Despite the rough treatment. Despite the hard conditions. Despite the many who shouted at him, hated him, tried to drive him away or change his message, John stayed true to his task. He never let up on his call to repentance to those who failed to follow My word.
John even found himself imprisoned after announcing to Herod the wrongs he committed in his illicit marriage. Still he refused to back off from the message I gave him to share with those around him. It made no difference whether they held high positions of authority or barely survived from day to day. John’s message, My message always came across boldly and without hesitation.
Not many want to change places with John. His might sound like an interesting life, getting to baptize My son. But living like John and losing your life to an executioner’s sword, few will sign up for knowingly. I won’t give you John’s task. But I will give you something only you can do for Me. And when you do what I ask, boldly and unhesitatingly, I guarantee you’ll meet Me face to face one day.
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