Luke 3:21-22, New International Version

“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”

God created us all uniquely. I believe we can get caught up in comparing ourselves to other people and their accomplishments. But that isn’t what God created us for. That is a trap of the enemy. He wants us to think we aren’t good enough. We were created in God’s image, for God. So many of us may think that we have to work to earn God’s love and approval or do great things to earn God’s love and approval.  But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

In the gospels we read about the account of Jesus coming onto the scene. He comes to John to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. When Jesus came out of the water, there was a voice from heaven that spoke. Scripture says, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”  (Luke 3:21-22, NIV) This scripture carries so much meaning, because before this happened, Jesus hadn’t performed one single miracle yet. He hadn’t done any kind of “work” to please God. He simply came to John the Baptist and was baptized, doing what He was led to do.

Our works do not earn us God’s love. Our work does not bring us salvation. Our Father in heaven already loves us. To prove His love for us, He sent His one and only Son to die a gruesome death in our place. He became the perfect sacrifice for all of us and for all time. John 3:16-18 (NIV) says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” We were completely dead spiritually and by all rights destined to spend eternity in hell. But hell was never meant for humanity. It was meant for the devil and his fallen angels. God made a way possible for us to be reconciled to Him, to have a relationship with Him. It’s a relationship where you don’t have to work to earn God’s love or salvation. You just accept this beautiful free gift He is offering you. The Bible tells us, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 9:9-10, NIV)

So, what holds us back from accepting this gift if we haven’t already? Perhaps it’s time to really give this some thought and consider this beautiful gift one may be missing out on. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Seek Him. Find Him. Find truth. The truth will set you free. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NIV) These words can be found in red in some Bibles. This indicates that these very words were spoken by Jesus Himself. May you find the truth, and may the truth set you free if you have not already. In Jesus name. Amen.