Matthew 3:16-17<\/b>\u00a0\u201cAs soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,\u00a0and he saw the Spirit of God\u00a0descending like a dove and alighting on him.\u00a017\u00a0And a voice from heaven\u00a0said, \u201cThis is my Son,\u00a0whom I love; with him I am well pleased.\u201d\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Matthew 28:19<\/b>\u00a0\u201cTherefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
1 John 5:7<\/b>\u00a0\u201cFor there are three that testify\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Acts 2:33<\/b>\u00a0\u201cExalted\u00a0to the right hand of God,\u00a0he has received from the Father\u00a0the promised Holy Spirit\u00a0and has poured out\u00a0what you now see and hear.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Please allow me to share something about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0I want to share a view that helps me.\u00a0\u00a0DISCLAIMER:\u00a0<\/b>This\u00a0NOT<\/b>\u00a0doctrine!\u00a0\u00a0Not in any way!<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0NOT<\/b>\u00a0Doctrine!\u00a0\u00a0If it helps you, than it does. Awesome!\u00a0\u00a0It blesses me.\u00a0\u00a0If you think it is not worth the brain space to remember it, then delete it.\u00a0\u00a0This is just me sharing with you.<\/p>\n
We understand what a father is.\u00a0\u00a0We know that Dad was the only one who loved us as well as Mom (just maybe could not express it as well).\u00a0\u00a0We know that Dad worked hard to provide for his family, that is built into Dads.\u00a0\u00a0We know that Dads modeled strength to their children, both daughters and sons, with equal, though specific instruction and focus.\u00a0\u00a0Sure we ran to Moms when we got hurt, but we could have just as equally ran to Dad and he would have loved on us and kissed our boo-boos too!\u00a0\u00a0It is true that no-one should mess with a mama-bears cubs, but a person messes with their life, or at least risks a good beating, if you mess with Daddy\u2019s kids.\u00a0\u00a0Daddy is also our creator, protector, provider, teacher, and lover of us straight to the depth of our beings, of our souls. Although no earthly Dad is perfect, we love him and only hope that we can be as good a parent as he has been.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Good Dads, loving Dads, represent God to us.<\/p>\n
Jesus is the Son of God.\u00a0\u00a0He always was, is and has always been God.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus is the first born of God.\u00a0\u00a0Although He, as God. was never created, He did allow Himself to be born as a man.\u00a0\u00a0He was fully God and also fully man.\u00a0\u00a0The man nature of Jesus was created by the Triune God, which means that He as God was also part of His own creation.\u00a0\u00a0He was born in the flesh through the honored and blessed Mary, with God the Father as His Father.\u00a0\u00a0The God side of Him was fully God, with all the fullness of God the Father being God.\u00a0\u00a0He is the first born of God.\u00a0\u00a0God in the flesh, living in flesh, and revealing God to us.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was born, because of His God nature, stronger than the sin nature that all of us inherited from Adam and Eve.\u00a0\u00a0So Jesus lived a sinless life.\u00a0\u00a0He set aside the His divine power to be subject to the very things that we are subject to, but still, He as fully God, and did not sin.\u00a0\u00a0He paved the way for us.\u00a0\u00a0He was the first born among mankind to die to self (becoming flesh for our sake) and He was the first born of those born of man to enter Heaven as a full citizen of Heaven.\u00a0\u00a0It is true that all who belong to Jesus are sons and daughters of God, but it is Jesus who came first and made the way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He was the only one capable of being The Way.\u00a0\u00a0None of us, as children through Him, could do what He did.\u00a0\u00a0Only He was a person who as being fully God and fully man was able to do what He did.<\/p>\n
Now Jesus is our brother and our friend.\u00a0\u00a0He is our big brother.\u00a0\u00a0As first-borns are apt to be, He was an example to us.\u00a0\u00a0Younger children, if they have a good older brother, are apt to follow the ways of that brother (not an absolute but a generality).\u00a0\u00a0(Unfortunately, if the first born has a bad track, his younger siblings may also follow that bad example.)\u00a0\u00a0In biblical times the son was the offspring that inherited the estate of his father.\u00a0\u00a0He either inherited the full estate or twice as much as his siblings (Double portion).\u00a0\u00a0If he inherited the entire estate it was not that his siblings received nothing, but that as the ceded head of the family, he took care of the family as his father had.\u00a0\u00a0He received not just the estate, but the position as head of the family.\u00a0\u00a0So, in the time of Jesus, the Jews understood this tradition.\u00a0\u00a0The eldest represented his father.\u00a0\u00a0It was supposed to be that if someone would see the son, he would know what the father was like.\u00a0\u00a0In this way the son honored the father.\u00a0\u00a0A modern vernacular has been of an offspring being just like their parent is being the \u201cspitting image\u201d of their parent.\u00a0\u00a0Like spit comes from a person so does offspring come from the essence of their parent.\u00a0\u00a0We know that offspring carry the DNA of their parents.\u00a0\u00a0The DNA of a child to a parent is not exact, but it is extremely close.\u00a0\u00a0So close that a parent may be identified by the child\u2019s DNA.\u00a0\u00a0DNA identifies family and it is used by police to solve crimes.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was more than the spitting image of God.\u00a0\u00a0He was God in the flesh.\u00a0\u00a0He was fully worthy, and fully able to, in every way, represent God to us.\u00a0\u00a0Since He is one with God, since the will of the Father is the same as His will, He fully expresses the will of God the Father to us and the love of God for us.\u00a0\u00a0He can because He and the Father are fully one, though being fully distinct.\u00a0\u00a0Men have, more so in the past, followed this example, except the sons of men are not always exact representatives of their fathers.\u00a0\u00a0Most clearly different is that the sons are not the fathers in every way, they are distinct and different. Yet Jesus is fully God, He is fully one, in every way, with God.\u00a0\u00a0So Jesus fulfills the will of God to us, for us and in us.\u00a0\u00a0He is our older Brother, who is our Savior and Lord, and who is our great example.\u00a0\u00a0Like a good older brother, He loves us, protects us, guides us and helps us.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He gives the riches of the Father to us.\u00a0\u00a0And the Father has so ordained Him to do.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus is our Brother in so many more ways than we could explain, and also our God.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus our Brother, how amazing is God!<\/p>\n
God has given men and women different roles.\u00a0\u00a0Not unequal roles, different roles.\u00a0\u00a0The roles of men are to represent God the Father to us.\u00a0\u00a0Women and men represent Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0So are women left out of a distinct role? NO way!\u00a0\u00a0How dear, beautiful and tender is the role of women who represent to us the role of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0The Holy Spirit is as fully God as God the Father and God the Son.\u00a0\u00a0As certainly as women and men both represent both God the Father and God the Son, both also are gifted of God the Holy Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The truth is, just as God is one and cannot be divided, the same is true of the natures of God in all our lives.\u00a0\u00a0God the Father, Jesus who is God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all within all of us.\u00a0\u00a0There is no distinction between our genders.\u00a0\u00a0They, He, is One and therefore the fullness of God was equally part of our creation, our salvation, and our sanctifying.\u00a0\u00a0Yet, we see different roles for all of his children.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Equal, but different.\u00a0\u00a0Although men and women are loving, nurturing and caring, and they both are providers and protectors, it is indisputable that the very nature of men and women is different.\u00a0\u00a0Regardless of the opinions of those who would now-a-days say otherwise.\u00a0\u00a0Women represent the Holy Spirit to us.\u00a0\u00a0Remembering that the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and Son, but the same, so is how the Holy Spirit dwells in the nature of women.\u00a0\u00a0When most think of their parents, who is most often thought of as being tender, loving, teaching and those who feed us?\u00a0\u00a0In most homes, we would ascribe these characteristics to our moms.\u00a0\u00a0Though as children, we could have, when skinning our knee, run to Dad, most often we ran to Mama.\u00a0\u00a0Generally, Dads were strong and didn\u2019t often know how to be as tender as mom did.\u00a0\u00a0Most can remember both parents tenderly loving them, but truly when we think of laying our hurt or wearied heads on a lap, it was mom\u2019s that we settled upon.\u00a0\u00a0Moms often breastfed us, then prepared meals for us and for the whole family.\u00a0\u00a0Moms put us on their laps and read to us.\u00a0\u00a0Mom was, at least in the past, more often \u201caround\u201d to talk to and learn from, whether in body or temperament.\u00a0\u00a0We knew that Dads \u201ctook care of\u201d us, but if we think back to our early childhood, we may mention that both took care of us, but usually Mom is the person we put first in that role.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God designed us that way.\u00a0\u00a0All of us do, but women most represent the Holy Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0When we were kids and mad at Dad because He was being strict, we might run to Mom and complain about Dad.\u00a0\u00a0Mom would tell us to not be angry with our father because he loves us and does what he thinks is best for us.\u00a0\u00a0Mom was the more quiet and gentle guidance that we needed.\u00a0\u00a0When we were young in the Lord and became angry with how we felt God was taking care of us, it is the Holy Spirit who brings us peace and healing, who reminds us that God is good and that He loves us.\u00a0\u00a0The Holy Spirit guides us back to a right relationship with Jesus who then points us to the Father.\u00a0\u00a0Good moms represent the Holy Spirit to us.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Moms represent God to us every bit as much as men.<\/p>\n
So God gave men and women roles to live out.\u00a0\u00a0Parents are two who became one.\u00a0\u00a0God is three in One who are the same and yet distinct.\u00a0\u00a0Would we eliminate the role of the Father or the Holy Spirit in our lives and claim only Jesus essential?\u00a0\u00a0No way!\u00a0\u00a0That is heresy!\u00a0\u00a0We need all three as surely as we need the one.\u00a0\u00a0It is the same with parents who are two who are one.\u00a0\u00a0It is against the ordained way of God to say one parent is more important than the other.\u00a0\u00a0It is against the way of God to say that one can be discarded as long as we have the other.\u00a0\u00a0We cannot say that Dads are more important than Moms and we cannot say that Moms are more important than Dads.\u00a0\u00a0Both Moms and Dads are equally essential and equally vital.\u00a0\u00a0In this way they are examples of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who though One, are distinct and all play a vital role to us.<\/p>\n
Okay, I think all the foregoing is biblically based.\u00a0\u00a0If it helps you, if it blesses you, then great!\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0\u00a0If not, then delete it.\u00a0\u00a0To all, men and women, priests and priestesses of the Lord Jesus Christ\u00a0\u201c\u201c\u2018\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn his face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d\u2019<\/i>\u00a0Numbers 6:24-26<\/b><\/p>\n
I did not, as I usually do, cite verses for most points, contact me by email, or text, or PM me.\u00a0\u00a0I will be happy to do so.\u00a0\u00a0The reason I did not provide more scriptures is because of the length of this devotion.\u00a0\u00a0Though it is long, I pray the blessing are also long.<\/p>\n
P<\/b><\/span>salm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.<\/p>\n Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.<\/p>\n Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Matthew 3:16-17\u00a0\u201cAs soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,\u00a0and he saw the Spirit of God\u00a0descending like a dove and alighting on him.\u00a017\u00a0And a voice from heaven\u00a0said, \u201cThis is my Son,\u00a0whom I love; with him I am well pleased.\u201d\u201d Matthew 28:19\u00a0\u201cTherefore go and make disciples…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,100,101,94,1874,17],"class_list":["post-2209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-john","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2209"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2210,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209\/revisions\/2210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}