Beginnings

Beginnings

Matthew 3:16-17, NLT

After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Setting the Scene

The starter’s gun marks the beginning of a race, but for the runners, weeks and months of preparation have come before that single shot. Likewise, the exchange of wedding vows begins a marriage that is part of an ongoing relationship that has been building. In many ways, the baptism of Jesus indicated the beginning of his public ministry. It marked the end of his private life and declared the start of his public life. He had already been living entirely for God; but with his baptism, that intention and direction came out in the open for the world to see.

Just as Jesus’ actions provoked his Father to declare his pleasure, so Jesus’ earlier words to John the Baptist, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires” (Matthew 3:15, NLT) was Jesus’ statement of love and delight at the prospect of moving into the intense period of work in the world that would lead to his death, resurrection, and return to his Father. This requirement of baptism was not imposed from the outside but was an internal deliberate intention to move consistently in a single direction. We imagine a twinkle in Jesus’ eye as he said, “We must carry out all that God requires” to John. It was the same tone present in the young boy who said to his mother, “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49, NLT).

Getting Personal

What events in your life have marked times when you stopped focusing on yourself and started focusing on the needs of others?

What commitments have you made that you need to renew before others or before God?

Beginnings can be accompanied by fanfare or silence, but they are best marked by commitment. Those who start with an end in mind are much more likely to arrive than those who simply start without direction or destination. Jesus wasn’t uncertain about where his life was headed. As we trace his steps, we will see intentional decisions all along the way. His declaration “We must carry out all that God requires” is a purpose statement all believers could adopt and follow.

Talking to God

Submit your goals to God, asking him to give you clear intention and determination to “carry out all that God requires.”