Well this year is almost over and Karen and I have not traveled outside the borders of the United States. Now we have traveled many times in ministry State to State, but so far this year not overseas. Yet I remember God telling me we will travel again. Well maybe I missed it and it was my imagination. You know many Christians are led more by their imagination than by the Spirit of God? We often imagine things or worst we make up things for us to do and then try to twist God’s arm into blessing them. But this, my friend, will never work.
So what does one do during the speaking of God and the manifestation of His word to us? Fulfill all righteousness. Sadly many Christians try to help God with His plans and timing, but this always leads to a longer period of waiting on our part and more bruises from us head bumping. This activity only discourages us and leaves us questioning a holy God. In Matthew 3 we read of a waiting time and God reaction to Jesus’ waiting. “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)
Here John the Baptist baptizes Jesus as a signal of the beginning of His ministry. Until then Jesus was doing the things He needed to do (like for us to do: read our Bible, attend services, spend time alone with God, pray, allow God to work in our lives, etc.) to be in the place both Spiritually and physically to be baptized. Jesus had to be baptized to be considered a Rabbi, here Jesus was fulfilling all righteousness even the righteousness of the law. And look what happened, “lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Look what happens when waiting for God’s time. What would we do if God spoke, “this is my beloved son or daughter in whom I am well pleased” well this God’s intention for our lives, but this is not contingent on God oh no, this is contingent us waiting and fulfilling all righteousness. Let us learn to wait for God’s timing and do the things we need to do to fulfill all righteousness.
