What Jesus Did! 'The Father's Delight in His Children' — Matthew 3:16-17

Sunday, January 24, 2021

A Year with Jesus - Holy Week

Spend some time with Jesus this week preparing for Resurrection Sunday.

Read More
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. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."
— Matthew 3:16-17 NLT

Key Thought

While Matthew's focus in Jesus' baptism is the fulfillment of God's will and character — to "carry out all that God requires" (Matthew 3:15) — God lets us know how delighted he is with his Son who is wanting to faithfully honor and obediently serve the will of his Father. God tells Jesus three things that all of us need to hear from our loved ones. They are also words we need to tell to those we love:
  1. God affirms his relationship with Jesus: "This is my... Son!"
  2. God affirms his love for Jesus: "my dearly loved Son."
  3. God affirms his joy in Jesus: "my... Son, who brings me great joy."
If Jesus needed this affirmation at the beginning of his ministry and right before he faced temptation, don't those around us need it as well?

Today's Prayer

Worthy, holy, and faithful God, I want to live with passion obeying your word, reflecting your character, and helping those who are reluctant to follow to be fully committed to you. Inspire such passion in me through your Spirit and energize my life as I seek to live your will. I want you to be pleased and praised by what I live. In Jesus' holy name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Matthew 17:4-5
  • 3 John 4
  • Matthew 12:17-18

Comments

Archived Facebook Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Sunday, January 24, 2021

The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
"God delivers his people from the snare of the fowler in two senses. From, and out of. First, he delivers them from the snare-does not let them enter....."
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
"Dear Follower, My half-brother James warned that simply believing in the existence of God was nothing special — even the demons believe in God...."
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
"[In response to the coming of the Holy Spirit on Jesus' followers, the crowd responded:] "And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages....."
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
"Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people,..."

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 3:16-17 NLT — "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.