Going Deeper in “You Are Beloved”
Read the following a few times:
Matthew 3:13–17; 2 Kings 6:15-17; Acts 7:55-56; 2 Cor 4:18
Reflect on the following:
1. Why do you think God chooses to speak before Jesus does anything publicly meaningful? What does this say about how God views worth and identity?
2. John resists baptizing Jesus. Where do you see yourself resisting God because you feel unworthy, unprepared, or “not enough”?
3. Jesus insists, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” What might faithful obedience look like for you in this new year—especially when it feels ordinary or unseen?
4. The Spirit descends like a dove. Why do you think the Spirit comes gently rather than dramatically? Where might God be moving quietly in your life right now?
5. Jesus enters the wilderness immediately after this moment. How does knowing he is beloved prepare him for what comes next? How might that apply to challenges you anticipate this year?
6. In what ways do we try to earn God’s approval, even though Scripture says it is already given?
7. How might your spiritual life change if you truly believed God delights in you today, not just in a future “better version” of yourself?
8. Many of us define ourselves by roles, failures, or productivity. What false identities are you being invited to release in light of your baptismal identity?
Spiritual Challenges:
1. Live From Identity, Not For It - For one full week, begin each day by slowly praying these words aloud or silently: “I am God’s beloved. I don’t have to earn that today.”
2. Write the Words Over Your Year - Sometime this week, write these words at the top of a page or journal: “You are my beloved. With you I am well pleased.” Then answer: What would this year look like if I truly believed this? What would I stop doing? What might I finally begin? Keep the page somewhere visible as a reminder.