I don’t have much to say about today’s reading, but I do love Psalm 67:1-2, May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. It is almost as if the Psalmist could see the impact salvation would have across the earth.

It never gets old hearing the plan of salvation, 38 “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” No matter how hard we try to be good, it is clear that we can never meet up to the standards required by the Law. It is only through the forgiveness of sin through Jesus that we can have salvation. The entire Bible is about this one thing and to miss this point is to miss THE point.

I love the Psalms for many reasons. I especially love any Psalm written by David because it gives me a view into this man’s heart. I know David didn’t do everything right, not by a long shot, but he loved God and always turned his eyes back to Him no matter how bad it got. It is a reminder that no matter what I do God is always there to welcome me back. The verses that stood out to me were in Psalm 62:5-7, 5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. No matter what happens in my life I will always find my rest and security in God alone.

I’ve read the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch many times before, but one of the notes in my Bible brought up a really good point. The Ethiopian is an important official; it says he is charge of Candace, queen of Ethiopia. Because he is an important official, this is the beginning of the witness “to the ends of the earth” that Jesus talked about in Acts 1:8. He is one of the first people to take the message of the Gospel beyond the middle eastern region and into Africa. Pretty cool!

Some the the most important verses in all of Scripture are found in the following passage, 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” These passages are central to the Christian faith. Without Christ’s resurrection, our Faith would be just like other religions that simply look to strong ethical systems or paradise and the afterlife. Only Christianity has a God that loved us so much that He became human so He could die for His people to be raised from the dead to provide salvation. Resurrection is important because without it we would not be able to conquer death. Only a loving God would do that for us.

I love reading the end of each of these gospels. There is so much hope that comes from knowing that Jesus is risen and has authority over heaven and earth. In verse 19 Jesus commands the disciples, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, These verses say nothing about baptism providing salvation. Baptism unites believers with Jesus Christ and symbolizes submission to Him. It is commanded to show submission to Christ and a willingness to live under God’s authority and in covenant with Him. Too many times I’ve seen baptism equate salvation, but it is important to realize that salvation comes before you can ever express submission and obedience to God.