Passage of the Day

Greetings,
I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and a safe one as you celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ - Rejoice in Him with thankfulness in your Hearts to the Father, I pray that all of your thoughts, words and actions would bring Him glory and exalt His Name.
John the Baptist’s preaching exposed the people’s sin, helped them to understand their position before a Holy God, and called them to repent of their sinful ways ….. Jesus came, John recognised who He was, and understood his subservience to Jesus, but at Jesus’ bidding baptised Him to ‘fulfill all righteousness’ - to do everything the right and appropriate way, and the Father revealed Jesus’ divinity in a very special way.
John’s call to repentance resonates down through the centuries - It is a call we all need to respond to - one that we all need to hear each day, and many times each day, as we stray and are gently returned to the path by the Lord’s grace, mercy and Love, and it is one that we also need to repeat to our family, friends, neighbours, workmates, acquaintances, to share with them the same grace, mercy and love which He has lavished on us … to rejoice In His blessings and to pass them on to others.
I am taking a break until the 14Jan, and will resume distributing the Passage then.

In Him, by His grace, Blessings
Bill

Passage of the day

Matthew 3

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ “4John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11″I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”