Baptism

Scripture

Luke 3: 3 “Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven”.

 

Observation

God gave John a message to preach and he did it with everything within him. His message was simply Baptism, to show externally what had occurred internally.

 

Application

Heeding the message of salvation is such a personal thing. Jesus comes and does an amazing work of regeneration within my heart that I realise that my life has been “born again” and I get a fresh start with a new set of core values and purposes. Baptism is the public declaration of this internal transformation that has occurred in my life. This baptism is a personal decision of recognition of the work of Christ within me yet it is witnessed by others as I undergo it. I publicly declared Christ as the Saviour of my life. I declared at baptism that I have chosen to turn from my sinful, selfish ways and have turned to God for forgiveness. My responsibility now is to walk daily in that new direction.

 

Prayer

Thank you. Thank you. Such simplicity, such grace, poured out over my life. Thank you for this reminder of my baptism and the declaration it made, not only to my family and friends as they watched me go under the water, but the declaration it made to You.

 

Jim Jung