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weekend > 7/26
Three in one
After Jesus was baptized, He
went up immediately from the
water. The heavens suddenly
opened for Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a
dove and coming down on Him.
And there came a voice from
heaven: “This is My beloved
Son. I take delight in Him!”
—Matthew 3:16-17
Read Matthew 3:13-17.
It’s one of the most important
days of your life. It could be your
graduation, an awards banquet during
which you are receiving an award, a
game in which you are starting, or a
concert in which you are performing.
Chances are pretty good that you want
all of your family and friends there to
help you celebrate that special day.
Jesus was no different. It was the
day of His baptism. He didn’t send
out any formal invitations, post it on
Facebook, or tell everybody He knew
about it, but it was still a very special
day for Him.
The example of baptism that Jesus
gave us that day was significant,
but what was even more significant
was the fact that the Trinity—God
the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit—was present for this day. How,
you ask? Jesus was baptized, God the
Father spoke, and the Holy Spirit was
present in the form of a dove.
This week’s devotions are all about
the Trinity. While we won’t find the
word Trinity in the Bible, we do find
examples again and again of how God
exists in three Persons. He is God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. While these are three distinct
Persons, they are still one.
While we try and explain how it’s
possible for God to be three in one,
sometimes we just need to accept that
we will not understand everything
about Him. It is only when we begin
living in a relationship with God the
Father through Jesus Christ the Son
with the Holy Spirit as our counselor,
guide, and empowerment that we
begin to understand this concept
called the Trinity.
1
monday > 7/27
Listening isn’t the same
thing as hearing.
Ever noticed how we want to understand how everything works and
why it works the way it does? We have a unique quest to discover behind-thescenes
information on how and why things work. How does a fax really work? How
is it possible to send a picture from your phone to somebody else? Why do your
friends do the things they do? Go ahead, take a minute and ask yourself what it is
that you really want to know. How would knowing it make an impact in your life?
The spiritual person, however,
can evaluate everything, yet he
himself cannot be evaluated by
anyone. For: who has known
the Lord’s mind, that he may
instruct Him? But we have the
mind of Christ.
—1 Corinthians 2:15 16
Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, paying
close attention to verses 15 and 16.
Up to this point, where have you
received your knowledge of how God
does things?
What is it that you would like to
know about why God does things the
way He does?
How does God say we are given information about His ways?
To what degree in your life is the Spirit of God giving you knowledge?
If you are not gaining an understanding of God and His ways, what ultimately
keeps that from happening?
What do you think about the statement, “we have the mind of Christ”?
Understanding the depth of God comes down to whether or not we are willing to
take the steps to be spiritually alive and grow spiritually. Paul told it straight to
the Corinthians: when we are alive in Christ, we have access to everything that
God’s Spirit is doing around us. God’s Spirit was given to us to help us gain a better
understanding of who God is and what He is doing. God is not something we have to
wish we could figure out; He gives us what we need to help us understand. But we
have to be willing and ready to listen.
God gives us what we need. We don’t
have to understand it all.
2
How much do you look like God?
tuesday > 7/28
Don’t you know
how much you’re loved?
Want to buy a house or a car sometime in the future? These two items
are major investments and big purchases in life. Each of them requires
that we discipline ourselves to save and come up with a down payment to prove
that we really want those things. Have you ever had to save up for something you
really wanted it? What was it? For how long did you save? What other resources
did you use to get it?
In Him you also, when you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation—in Him when
you believed—were sealed
with the promised Holy Spirit.
He is the down payment of our
inheritance, for the redemption
of the possession, to the praise of
His glory. —Ephesians 1:13 14
Read Ephesians 1:3-14. Reread verses
13-14.
According to these verses, when did
God start planning for you?
What was the down payment that
God provided?
What did Christ do for the down
payment?
What did the Holy Spirit do for the
down payment?
What is significant about the three portions of the down payment provided for you?
What does this tell you about God’s plan and love for you?
Your down payment was started long before you were ever born. From the very
beginning of time, God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit have been planning for you and
investing in your life. God, before all creation, knew that He wanted to have a relationship
with you and was making plans to make that possible. Paul reminded us
in this passage that only in Christ can we discover just how much was given on our
behalf. Do you understand? Jesus sacrificed the glory and honor He deserved to
come to earth where He was mocked, ignored, and crucified. He gave Himself up
for you. And there’s more! God gave us the Holy Spirit to seal you and to remind
you of what was planned for us. God—in three Persons—loves you.
3
Personal Space
wednesday > 7/29
Whom do you
look like?
He looks like his dad. No, he
looks like his mom. Come on,
he really has the look of his granddad.
Ever heard these words before? Every
new baby is put through this ritual.
For years to come there is the annual
squeezing of the cheeks followed by
the words, “Oh she looks just like . . .”
Whom do you look like?
Then God said, “Let Us
make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness.
They will rule the fish of the
sea, the birds of the sky, the
animals, all the earth, and
the creatures that crawl on
the earth.” —Genesis 1:26
Take a look at Genesis 1:26-31. Think
about what God did in verse 26.
Whom do these verses say you look
like?
What does it mean to be made in
God’s image?
Who is the “Our” in verse 26?
Do you look more like God the
Father? The Son? The Spirit?
Why is it important that all three
Persons of the Trinity were present
and involved in creation?
While your earthly parents will
argue for years over whom you most
resemble, the truth of the matter is
you were created in the image of God.
While your physical attributes may call
to mind your parents or grandparents,
God created you in His image. But God
wasn’t talking about physical things,
like your face or the shape of your
hands. You were made in God’s image,
in a spiritual sense. Everything about
you was created with God’s nature and
character in mind. That includes the
Father’s attributes, the Son’s attributes,
and the attributes of the Spirit of God.
Nobody has more bragging rights than
God of whom you look like.
50 | jul 2009 ec magazine ec magazine jul 2009 | 51