Category: Bible study

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The Baptism of Jesus Matthew 3:13-17

John had been baptizing those who were repenting and turning to God. Now Jesus comes to be baptized by John. What an honor, right? John, however, understood that Jesus was the Messiah and did not need to repent of anything or turn to God, as was the requirement for baptism (Matthew 3:6). If anything, John understood his own sin and believed he should be baptized by Jesus not the other way around.

Reflection Question:

How did Jesus change John’s mind?

What happens after the baptism is relayed by Matthew in a beautiful picture of words that describe the love, joy, and pleasure that God took in seeing His son baptized – a symbol of being buried in death and raised to life. He also describes a scene of God’s Spirit descending like a dove, which one of my favorite Bible references describes like this:

God the Father immediately responds to Jesus’ baptism in a powerful way. As Jesus emerges from being fully immersed in the water of the Jordan River, the heavens are opened. Jesus sees God the Holy Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and coming to rest on Him.

It’s unclear from the descriptions in the other Gospels whether only Jesus saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descend. This might have been witnessed by everyone present. Or, perhaps it was only perceived by Jesus and John (John 1:32). Luke does specify that the Holy Spirit took solid, bodily form (Luke 3:22). However, the phrase “like a dove” can either refer to the visual appearance of the Spirit, or to the manner in which the Spirit descended. As such, it’s not explicitly clear that the Holy Spirit looked like a literal dove.

Bibleref.com in regard to Matthew 3:16

While John’s experience with Jesus is unique to only him, I am reminded what a privilege it is to serve God/Jesus in any way. I am equally convicted to remember the privilege and have a humble spirit like John, who surrendered to serve/baptizing as Christ requested – knowing, as Jesus told him, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” 

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John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Matthew 3:1-12

In our passage today we are introduced to John the Baptist. This isn’t the first reference to John in the Scriptures. As Matthew shares in 3:3, Isaiah proclaimed John would come. Matthew affirms the prophecy with his own introduction of John by introducing him not only as one living in the Judean wilderness but as one proclaiming the message of Jesus. Matthew also paints a picture of John for us by describing his preaching style, the way he dressed, what he ate, and how the people were attracted to him, but even better, how they responded to his message by repentance and turning to God.

People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

Matthew 3:5-6

However, the words that really captured my attention today are found in verses 8 and 9, where John addresses the Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to “watch” the baptism. He calls them out – demanding them to prove with their lives that they have repented and turned to God. He warns them not to think they are safe simply because they are descendants of Abraham.

8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 

Matthew 3:8-8

This is the true message of the Gospel and of the Savior John was preaching, and we would do well to heed the warning. Our salvation isn’t based on whether or not our parents are Christians or if we go to church … Nor does it matter if we attended a Christian school or can recite Bible verses from Genesis to Revelation, and have read through the Bible every year of our life. It isn’t based on our good deeds, bad deeds, or our knowledge of who God is. Salvation is based on faith alone in Christ alone. God’s Word says that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works (Ephesians 2:8-9). No matter how hard or long we try we will never be good enough to earn salvation. Only God, by His grace and His mercy through Christ, can give us our salvation. It is a gift freely given to all who place their faith in Christ Jesus, the only “begotten”, sinless Son of God who died in our place – so that we could become the sons and daughters of God.

May we be careful not to place our hope and faith in what we know, or do, or for that matter what we don’t do – but rather in Jesus alone, the one who came, not to condemn the world but in order to save the world.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:17
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Read Matthew 2:13-23

If we were to “soap” only one of these verses it most likely would be verse 16, where we read of Herod’s anger at being duped by the wise men. If we were to ‘soap’ the passage – we most likely would list the subsequent murder of all the little boys and note how the angel’s message and Joseph’s obedience were used to spare the life of Jesus. We might even note the similarities of this passage to that of a similar edict in Exodus from which Moses was spared, Exodus 1:15-22.

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.

Matthew 2:16

However, as I read through this passage what caught my attention this time were several sets of repeated phrases; so I went back to highlight the unfolding story of these early days/years following Jesus’ birth. Notice with me there are two times where we read that “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream”, and once where he was “warned in a dream”, (13, 19, and 22). It is apparent in each instance that the angel brought instructions/warnings in order to protect but also to position them where God wanted them to be. This was another of the highlighted similarities. In verses 14 and 23 we read how the angel’s appearance and Joseph’s obedience fulfilled the prophecies that had been spoken. These same verses, 14 and 23, reveal Joseph’s obedient response to the angel’s instructions – which is the third set of highlighted similarities.

I believe we can learn much from these observations. We may not have an angel of the Lord appear to us in a dream but we do know that God has placed His Spirit in us to teach us and to remind us of all that He has said. We would be wise to be alert to His teaching and reminders as well as to live yielded and obedient as Joseph did. Another application comes in the form of comfort and peace knowing that God makes a habit of protecting and positioning His children according to His perfect plan – knowledge that leads us to a deeper trust.

 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

John 14:26

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Combatting Anxiety

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Paul didn’t just tell believers not to be anxious about anything – he taught them ‘how to’ not be anxious about anything. He knew, most likely from experience, that anxiousness would be a part of their life. Remember in that day, to do what they were called to do as disciples of Christ often led them to imprisonment or worse. However, it wasn’t just the big stuff that he focused on – he told them, “Do not be anxious about anything“. What I love about Paul is that often when he told the people ‘what not to do’ he followed it up with ‘what to do’. Instead of stopping with “don’t be anxious” he continued, “but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Paul gave them a remedy for their anxiousness. His remedy was to pray. However, he broke it down using three essential elements and one specific focus. The essential elements were prayers, petitions, and the giving of thanks. The focal point was to be God.

“Do not be anxious about ANYTHING but in EVERY SITUATION by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:6

To better understand and implement the remedy let’s look at the elements first. Prayer, petition, and thanksgiving. Some, including myself at one point, would say aren’t prayers and petitions, and even thanksgiving all the same thing? While, for many years I would have said yes I have come to understand the answer is truly no, they aren’t. I have learned that prayer can be very broad, such as ‘Father, help so and so’, or ‘I need such and such’, and of course the eventual and often obligatory ‘thank you for everything’ – or it can be personal (real) and relational (involving more than self) and heartfelt (attentive and faith driven). I believe the latter of the two choices is the remedy Paul spoke of. Why? Because it is when we pray relational prayers our postures change from a focus of ‘me’ to a focus of God. We’re no longer simply praying words but we are, as Paul instructs, presenting our requests to someone, and that someone is God. Once our prayers move to relational, in my experience, they also convert to heartfelt. When this happens our focus shifts from self to God, from concerns to God, from worries to God, from fears and jealousies and a myriad of other things to God. This in itself begins to calm my anxieties, but it’s the giving of thanks that really changes things. You see, when we are thanking God we are reminded of His faithfulness, not only in the present but often we will recall what He’s done in the past which tends to bring our focus full-throttle on God and results in a calming hope of what He can and will do in the future. Lest we question the validity of Paul’s teaching let’s consider and rest in what God said through the prophet Isaiah centuries before –

God will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all those whose thoughts are fixed on Him

Isaiah 26:3

So, does this mean if we pray we will never be anxious? The answer I have found is no. However, I can promise you when our anxious thoughts are truly given to God we will not stay in a state of anxiety. Instead, as Paul goes on to say, “you will experience a peace that passes all understanding and guards your hearts and minds as you live in Christ.” May we faithfully live in Him in 2022, may we become women who are devoted to prayer – with an attitude of thanksgiving being able to boast of His peace rather than wallow in our anxious thoughts.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Colossians 4:2
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Happy New Year’s Eve! I can’t wait to begin our new study, The Importance of Prayer, now available for purchase and scheduled to begin on January 17. Until then, I hope you will continue to join me here for daily verses meant to equip, encourage, and empower us with the Word of God. I look forward to growing with you in our faith, sharing with You what God is teaching me, and hearing what you’re learning and what He’s doing in your life. I recently read an article, The Most Wonderful Books on Earth, that has been the inspiration for where we will begin and maintain our focus in 2022. I will explain more in the days to come but reading the article will help you understand my heart as we begin reading through Matthew together on Monday. In the meantime, I have a huge favor to ask of each of you. Will you please join me today, tomorrow, and Sunday, in praying for:

  1. The growth of our group: It’s not about numbers for me, but rather about reaching more women with the Word of God, equipping, encouraging, and empowering them to know His love, live in His ways, and leave a trail of salt and light everywhere they go. (How: pray for and share this site with others you know, or simply share the daily posts on any of your social media. Invite others to join the group)
  2. The growth of you: a. In your faith – we all need to grow in our understanding and obedience to the Word of God. The writer of Hebrews taught that it is by constant use of God’s Word that we learn to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:11-14) … b. In your commitment and participation (as much as is possible)- (How? Checking in daily for the day’s passage, devotion and/or blog; sharing your observation, application, or a question you might have; sharing a prayer request or a word of encouragement – you never know how your words might encourage someone else …)
  3. Finally, for me. Please ask God to help me as I lead us on these journeys through the Word – that I might plan, prepare, schedule and communicate well and in a timely manner. Pray for the wisdom I need, that I might correctly explain the Word (2 Tim 2:15). Pray also for strength, joy, peace, and praise to be abundant in and through me. (Eph 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has *created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago and by which He is glorified … Matt 5:16 -In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. *[see also, 2 Cor 5:17]

From the bottom of my heart I thank you in advance for your prayers and for being partners with me in this journey and quest to not only study the Word but to Love God Greatly. 💜

Me – From the Inside-out

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Read: Luke 1:46-55 and Psalm 113; SOAP: Psalm 113:1-2

Praise the Lord!

Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord.

    Praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord

    now and forever.

Psalm 113:1-2

Reflection: It’s the last Friday of our Advent study, The greatest Gift Given, and it’s time to praise the Lord again. Is there something you can praise Him for today? Think back through the week – where did you see God’s fingerprints or hear HIs voice. What has He done that you know could only have been Him? Have you known peace in your heart or mind? Take some time to give God praise! Let’s end our study time together with some Praise for the Greatest Gift Ever!

I pray you have a wonderful Christmas celebration! Our Savior has arrived—the King of kings and Lord of lords! Our Redeemer has been born and we get to join with angels in heaven as we sing His praises. Before the gifts are opened, before the meals are shared, before the carols are sung, sing praise to God, for He alone is worthy.

Read the full devotional from the Love God Greatly Team

And don’t forget the blog

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Read: John 14:27-31; SOAP: John 14:27

Reflection: What does it mean that Christ has given you His peace? How is the peace that Christ gave us different than anything the world can offer?

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27

“In His great mercy and wisdom, God continues to give us good and perfect gifts, not just for today, but for our future.” Read today’s full devotional

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Peace of Mind

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 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:6-8

Paul taught the people of Philippi to not be anxious about anything. He encouraged them to talk to God about their concerns and needs, and to set their minds on things that are true and honorable, and right and pure, and lovely and admirable. They were told to think about things that are excellent and praiseworthy. It seems Paul had learned that the best way to put out the fires of anxiety is to change the focus of his mind. – Go ahead, give it a try – I promise it works!

Reflection: What do you think about when you become anxious? Is it a help or a hindrance to the peace we read about here in Philippians – peace that guards our hearts and minds?

Read today’s devotional to find out what we should do with all of our anxious thoughts –

Love God Greatly Devotional
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The Gift of Peace

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I invite and encourage you to join me for this final week of our study as we explore God’s gift of PEACE.

We will discover how to have peace in our hearts, minds, circumstances, and future – and then we will finish the study with a look at Mary’s song of praise. You won’t want to miss a single day!

And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

Week 6 Challenge: In Philippians 4:6-8 Paul tells his readers the peace of Christ guards our hearts. Hows does meditating on things that are true , worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy guard our hearts and minds? This week, take time to evaluate your thoughts, making sure to focus on things that match this list.