You Are One of God’s Beloved Children

Scripture — Mark 1:9-11 (NRSV)

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Devotion

By the time Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, the Baptist had already baptized hundreds if not thousands of people. Yet, after Jesus emerged from the water, something unique happened. A voice from heaven called out to Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (1:11).

I can only begin to imagine how this voice impacted Jesus. Of course, he would have heard about his miraculous conception from his parents, who passed on what they learned about him from God via angels and dreams. But, as far as we know, what happened in Jesus’s baptism was a unique event in his life. To know that he was not just the Son of God in a royal sense, but also the Son whom God loves in a special way, must have been a great encouragement. Plus, which of us wouldn’t be thrilled to learn that God is “well pleased” with us?

Moreover, the voice from heaven pointed to the reason Jesus was on earth. At the core of his identity was his relationship with God the Father. Yet the fact that Jesus was the Son of God also meant that he was God’s choice for king. “Son of God” was a title used for the Jewish king. Jesus, therefore, would fill the role of Israel’s specially Anointed One, though, as we’ll learn later, he would do so in a most unexpected way.

You and I will probably never hear a voice like Jesus on that momentous day, at least not this side of heaven. But we too can know who we are in a way that encourages us and clarifies our calling. Romans 8 affirms that we are “children of God” (8:14). 1 John 3:1 adds, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” Now, to be clear, we are not God’s children in the same way Jesus is God’s Son. We aren’t, as it is sometimes said, “little gods.” But, through Jesus, we can know God as our Heavenly Father and be confident in God’s parental love for us.

The fact that we are God’s beloved children makes a difference in every facet of our lives, including our work. In times of discouragement, we can be reassured by the fact that God cares for us. When we face opposition or injustice, we can be strengthened by the knowledge of who we are. When we feel lonely or isolated, we can remember that God is with us and will never let us go. In everything we do, we can seek to give joy to our Heavenly Father who loves us with a love that will never let us go.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Mark 1:4–11. John Baptizes Jesus of Nazareth.