God’s Will for Your Life
“‘… We should do all things that are God’s will.’ So John agreed to baptize Jesus.”
Matthew 3:15 (NCV)
When Jesus approached John the Baptist to be baptized, John protested as you or I probably would have as well. Matthew records the account in Matthew 3:13-14 (NCV), “At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River and wanted John to baptize Him. But John tried to stop Him, saying, ‘Why do you come to me to be baptized? I need to be baptized by You!’”
John recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God who came to save us from our sins! He didn’t feel qualified to baptize the Son of God! Instead, he asked Jesus to baptize him. Can you imagine the scene? Why would Jesus want John to baptize Him? He certainly didn’t have any sins that needed to be forgiven or washed away. But baptism was so much more than a symbol of cleansing from sin. Jesus’ act of baptism fulfilled God’s will and identified Himself with each of us who take that same step of obedience in our lives. In verse 15, Matthew gives us Jesus’ response to John, “Jesus answered, ‘Let it be this way for now. We should do all things that are God’s will.’ So John agreed to baptize Jesus.” (NCV)
Following Christ begins with the first step of obedience in baptism. Baptism is like driving a stake in the ground and going public with your faith. It is fulfilling God’s will for your life. Matthew says that Christ Himself was baptized to “carry out all that God requires.” Matthew 3:15 (NLT)
Have you taken that step of obedience as a Christ follower? If not, you can! This weekend, we are hosting our annual Super Summer Baptism Celebration on all our campuses. You can register now to be baptized following any of our weekend services and experience the joy of forgiveness and the presence of God’s Spirit in a life-changing way!
God affirmed the baptism of His own Son in a special way. The Bible says, “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)
Baptism is a step of obedience in your life that brings your Heavenly Father great joy! It fulfills God’s will for your life. It’s a celebration of new life! Join us this weekend at Woodlands Church and experience life change! Watch this short video clip above of last year’s Super Summer Baptism!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.