Devotions with Pastor Jared Ritchey

This last week has been a week of firsts for me, getting to officiate a wedding for the first time last Saturday, and performing my first baptism on Wednesday. Surprisingly, I was more nervous to perform the baptism than I was doing the wedding. This is probably because, in addition to it being a first, I had the great honor of baptizing my oldest daughter. As I witnessed my daughter making this important, mature decision, it struck me that I’m getting to witness my little girl growing up!

It brought to mind James 1:1-4, specifically verse 4, which says “And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” We talk about God as our Father. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into God’s family as His sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:18). A part of being someone’s parent is watching them grow up, which means that God is watching us grow, just like any good Father would!

When my daughter made the decision to get baptized, it brought me more joy and pride than anything else I have experienced since my daughters were born. I challenge you, brothers and sisters in Christ, to look at your choices, and make decisions that will make our Father joyful and proud!