Daily Devotionals

Ghost: Week 1 - Wednesday

As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. 

Mark 1:10

Do you remember the moment you got baptized? For me, it was when I was seven years old. I had given my life to Jesus in the children's ministry and then made the decision that I wanted to be baptized. At the church I was in, we had a big baptistery that was set up high above the stage, and we did baptisms at the end of each service. I was so small that the pastor had to pick me up from the tank so I could say my name and share why I was getting baptized. He baptized me, and it was a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

The moment that Jesus got baptized was one that His early followers would never forget. They remembered John the Baptist promising that he came to prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus came and was baptized by John, and it was in that moment that we see the three distinct persons of the Trinity. God the Father speaks to all the people and says, "This is My Son in whom I am well pleased!" Jesus Himself is baptized in water as the Son of God. Then the gospel of Mark gives us a picture of the Holy Spirit descending down onto Jesus like a dove. We see that God has one unique essence but three distinct persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is seen in creation, the work of God in the Old Testament, and Jesus' own words in the New Testament.

If we are honest, this at times is hard to wrap our minds around as humans. People have tried to explain it in different ways and have used different metaphors, but most of them fall short of complete comprehension. If we could understand this concept fully it might actually put us on equal footing with God and wouldn't that make our God much smaller? Our God is very big and powerful, and His knowledge far surpasses our own understanding.

Moving Toward Action

All of us have unanswered questions about God. Things that we wonder as we try to connect the dots that we have sorted into the category of mystery. Take some time to list out some of the questions that you have for God below. As you list these out, ask God to fill you with wisdom and understanding. It could also be that through listing these out that you make peace with the fact that God's thoughts and knowledge is far beyond our own.

Going Deeper

Read Mark 1:1-11 (NLT)

This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written:

“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    and he will prepare your way.
He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!’”

This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”