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What Jesus Did! 'The Father's Delight in His Children' — Matthew 3:16-17 Friday, January 24, 2025 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 Key Thought If Jesus needed this affirmation at the beginning of his ministry and right before he faced temptation, don't those around us need it as well?While Matthew's focus in Jesus' baptism is the fulfillment of God's will and character — to "carry out all that God requires" (Matthew 3:15) — God lets us know how delighted he is with his Son who is wanting to faithfully honor and obediently serve the will of his Father. God tells Jesus three things that all of us need to hear from our loved ones. They are also words we need to tell to those we love:God affirms his relationship with Jesus: "This is my... Son!" God affirms his love for Jesus: "my dearly loved Son." God affirms his joy in Jesus: "my... Son, who brings me great joy." Today's Prayer Worthy, holy, and faithful God, I want to live with passion obeying your word, reflecting your character, and helping those who are reluctant to follow to be fully committed to you. Inspire such passion in me through your Spirit and energize my life as I seek to live your will. I want you to be pleased and praised by what I live. In Jesus' holy name, I pray. Amen. Related Scripture Readings Matthew 17:4-5 3 John 4 Matthew 12:17-18