June 19

     Jesus did not receive baptism as a confession of guilt on His own account. He identified Himself with sinners, taking the steps that we are to take, and doing the work that we must do. His life of suffering and patient endurance after His baptism was also an example to us.

     Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the river bank. A new and important era was opening before Him. He was now, upon a wider stage, entering on the conflict of His life. Though He was the Prince of Peace, His coming must be as the unsheathing of a sword. The kingdom He had come to establish was the opposite of that which the Jews desired. He who was the foundation of the ritual and economy of Israel would be looked upon as its enemy and destroyer. He who had proclaimed the law upon Sinai would be condemned as a transgressor. He who had come to break the power of Satan would be denounced as Beelzebub. No one upon earth had understood Him, and during His ministry He must still walk alone. Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission. Even His disciples did not understand Him. He had dwelt in eternal light, as one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude.

          Desire of Ages, page 112 from the chapter, 'The baptism'

     We are not saved by modelling our lives after the life of Jesus. If we were to try to do this the first issue is that we would be seeking to live a life based on works. The second issue is that we would fail in our efforts because we fall short of the glory of God.

     It is true that we are to take the life of Jesus as an example for our own lives. Look where that will take us. We are told that neither Jesus’ mother or his family understood Him – and that His disciples failed to understand Jesus. As a result He went about His ministry surrounded by crowds but walking alone.

     Nevertheless, those same disciples were not only baptised but were also baptising. We should not wait till we understand everything before we act.

     My computer is misbehaving itself so you have the same song as yesterday. It is a rather good song with a rather good message. The song is, ‘Have I told you lately that I love you?’ by Van Morrison. You can take the song as a love song – and see the words as a reminder of what you could do today for your loved ones. You could then remind yourself that it’s a good idea to tell God that you love Him. Please click on the picture to listen.