“And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Matthew 3:16-17, 4:1
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“I’ll get the drinks and snacks while you fill up ‘ol Bessie!” Tapping the hood of our trusty little hybrid, I skip gleefully toward the quick stop. Nothing beats getting away, even if it’s only for a weekend road trip.
I hop up the concrete steps and hear little bells announce my arrival as I open the door. My mind is fixed on finding our favorite baked potato chips.
“Julia?” I turn to face the familiar voice from behind me.
“Oh, my gosh! It’s been forever! How are you?” Melissa jumps out of the checkout line. A lanky teenage boy shyly shadows her.
“Wow! I haven’t seen you since junior year…” That was the year Melissa got pregnant and was booted out of our private high school.
“Yeah.” She rolls her eyes. “Thank God high school ends at some point, huh?” She looks toward the teenager on her right.
“He only has one year left. Have you ever met Connor?” I shake my head no while holding out my hand.
“Hey.” A muffled voice emits from under the tent of his drawn hoodie. The boy limply grabs my hand; his eyes remain fixed on the linoleum floor.
“Look.” Melissa draws a rhinestone covered cell phone from her jean shorts. She holds it up so I can see; an adorable four-year-old version of Melissa smiles backs at me from her screensaver.
“That’s my little girl, Amber. I love her so much…she’s my bestie.” Melissa smiles proudly while shoving the phone back into her pocket.
I catch Conner wince as he turns to pick up another stick of beef jerky. His shoulders seem to drop a few centimeters from that short but powerful statement.
My heart aches for the boy; I feel his pain. I know what it feels like to be tossed aside for …anything less complicated.
In Matthew 3:16-17; 4:1, we are reminded that Jesus Himself needed to hear of His Heavenly Father’s approval before He entered into a situation that would seem almost unbearable for Him. He had to completely rely on God for his physical sustenance and spiritual strength while He was left alone with satan himself in the wilderness.
If Jesus needed to hear how pleased God was with Him, how much more do we mere mortals need to hear it?
In this flawed world, it isn’t wise to rely on the sensitivities of others to form and shape our self-worth. When we do this, we are at the mercy of whomever we rely on; and human beings are not only inaccurate in their assessment of value, but also grossly unreliable.
Where does that leave the broken-hearted Connors of the world? Right in the palm of God’s hand.
Although on the surface it may seem that Conner is one of the unfortunate ones—he is actually in the position to receive the most blessing.
Those who feel completely fulfilled (the ‘Ambers’ who have all the love in the world); could fall into the trap of having so much confidence that it could mask their need for God and His love.
For people who are quite aware of rejection and loneliness—finding God is a matter of survival. Because we all need love. If you aren’t getting it from the world, I can assure you, God has a more than enough of it—just for you.
Seek God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And when you do, you most certainly will find Him. No matter what human being has left or forsaken you, God never will.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
At this age, I should be stronger than I am. I am having a hard time keeping myself together. I feel like a broken vase that has been glued back together so many times it is not only useless; it has completely lost it’s charm and beauty as well.
For years, I have been ignoring my issues—in hopes that they would just go away. But, they are not going anywhere. The longer my pain keeps sitting there…the deeper it settles in me. It is now pressing so hard on my heart that I feel like it is finally breaking. Lord, fix me.
I need you. I have needed you my whole life, but I have finally come to terms with just how much I actually do.
It is time to admit that. I am ready for you to show me just how loved I really am. Don’t hold back, Lord. Let every wound in my soul be covered by the blood of Jesus. Let the dynamos power of His resurrection lift me out from under my despair and put me into a place of repair.
I am ready for a complete restoration—of my mind, heart, body and soul. In Jesus’ precious name, because He died so I could have it all, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Matthew 3:16-17: 4:1
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan