When Jesus approached John for baptism, John hesitated and said, “How can I baptize you? I need you to baptize me.”
And Jesus answered, “Let it be done to fulfill all righteousness.” Matthew 3:15.
John baptized Him, and what happened? The heavens opened, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove and flew down and landed on Jesus, and God the Father spoke: “This is my beloved Son, in whom my soul delights!” Matthew 3:16-17.
This was the most amazing revelation of God since the Creation (those are the only two times the Triune God-head revealed Himself—each was at the beginning of something incredible).
But without the obedience of Jesus and John, it would never have happened. Our lives are the same way. God blesses our obedience. But when we do not obey, the blessings slip on past and we usually have no idea what we have missed. Don’t compromise. Don’t be a casual Christian. Work at it. Think of it as a workout. Your spiritual life requires discipline and structure—a plan with good habits. Make time for prayer every day, and make it a habit. I pray the best in the car—and my trips are pretty long. Make time for reading the Word. For me that is first thing when I get up or the first thing after arriving at work. Write a verse down to memorize. Put it in your car or somewhere and work on it daily.
Blessings follow obedience.
Do you need blessings? (Yes, you do!) And God wants to give them. Commit to radical obedience, to the highest possible standards. Then watch what God does. Speaking of memorizing, the verse I am claiming, praying, thinking about, and memorizing right now applies to my two children. Like all of us, I know that they live in a world of darkness. It gets inside your head.
But I am praying for them and talking to God about John 1:5—”the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.” Pray for His light and truth to defeat the darkness in you and around you.
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Household Words: 