Daily Baptism (Mk 1:9-10)

Today's reading was Matthew 3 and Mark 1.

What's involved in baptism?

1. Humility. Jesus came down from Galilee to the Jordan. Jordan literally means "the descender." This reminds me of what John said: "Jesus must increase but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30).
2. Trust. The one being baptized puts trust in the baptizer. He trusts he will be pulled back up after being pulled under.
3. Cleansing. There is no part of you that is unaffected by baptism. That's why we submerge candidates.

What do I mean by daily baptism? No, you don't have to keep getting baptized in water. You do, however, have to keep on being cleansed from sin and defilement.

Instead of the water you go to the Word, the Bible. You submit to the Bible the same way you submit to baptism: with humility and trust. This means so much more than just reading the Bible. It is more about letting the Bible read you (Heb 4:12).

Matthew talks about being persecuted by God's Word (Mt 13:21). When it points out something, will you submit to the Word? Acknowledge it is right, confess sin, ask forgiveness (1 Jn 1:9).

Read Heb 10:22; Eph 5:25-27.