The Holy Spirit: The Dove

 “And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.” Mark 1:10 NKJV

After the great flood Noah sent out a dove to see if the world was safe again for habitation. On the second flight of the dove God sent back to Noah the sign that the water was gone and vegetation had again grown. If the dove could have spoken it would have given words of peace and safety. In the psalms David wished that he had the wings of a dove that he might fly away to a place of safety. Solomon uses a dove to depict the safety and hope of a loving relationship. The children of Israel had a clear picture of the value of the dove from their sacred writings.

When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon Him. Here was the One, anointed by the dove, who would end the destruction wrought by sin and bring new life to God’s people. Here was the One, covered by the dove, who would bring peace and refuge to the soul. Here was the One, marked by the Dove, who would bring the joy and peace and hope of a loving relationship with God once again. The Holy Spirit rested on Jesus and proclaimed to the world, “This is the One you have waited for.”

Dear Father, Let the Holy Spirit shine through me the testimony of who Christ is and what He offers to our lost and hurting world. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.