Monday, March 31, 2008

Side Trip

“When I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, a door was opened to me by the Lord. I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus, but I said good-bye to them, and left for Macedonia.” (2 Corinthians 2:12-13 CSB)

Some have maligned Paul as a “non-team player” type, a “Lone Ranger” apostle. They describe him as one for whom relationships were at the bottom of the stack, one who was so task-oriented that nothing else mattered. To be sure, Paul was a highly task-oriented missionary, and perhaps early in his missionary career, relationships were not as primary as they were for some, but the deeper he got into ministry, the more important relationships became. In fact, relationships were primary for Paul.

The brief text above shows us that God opened a door for ministry in the city of Troas for Paul. Troas seems to have been Luke’s hometown, or at least the place where his medical work was centered. We cannot be certain of that, but it does appear that this is the city where Paul met Luke, since the “we” passages of the Book of Acts begin after Paul, Silas, and Timothy departed from Troas. At that point, however, Paul does not seem to have had a strong ministry in Troas, and now, finally, at this later time God opened a door for him to serve in Troas.

In Troas, Paul was unable to concentrate. He says it this way, “I had no rest in my spirit.” He had no peace about serving there, not because of concerns related to Troas, but because he could not find his brother and fellow missionary, Titus. His deep concern for Titus caused him then to say good-bye to the folks he had been working with in Troas and set out for Macedonia so he could find Titus.
There is no greater task than missions, and we must carry out the Lord’s directive to disciple the nations. We cannot do it alone, however. Remember that our Lord sent His own disciples out in two’s. Missions is, thus, a team effort. There may appear to be “stars,” but in reality God calls us to walk together in reaching the lost with the gospel. And Paul is the one who set the example for us in this.

Lord, Strengthen us in our commitment to You and to walking together with our fellow believers in reaching a world that is lost. For Your Glory. Amen.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Sing the Glory

“They will sing of the Lord’s ways, for the Lord’s glory is great.” (Psalm 138:5 CSB)

What is the measure of greatness? We speak of great leaders of the past whose accomplishments were huge in our eyes. We speak of experiences we have had that we call “great.” We speak of friends or family members who mean much to us and say they are just great. We almost use the word “great” to describe anything we happen to like or approve of or appreciate to an immense degree. But what is the true measure of greatness?

How about: creating the world in 6 days? Might that be great? How about raising the dead? Would that be great? It may be that there is only One who could genuinely be called “great.”

The Lord’s glory is great. David recognized that. In Psalm 138 he expressed his love for God and said, “I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.” He also said a little later that all the kings of the earth would give thanks to God when they hear of His promises, and they will then sing of the Lord’s ways because “the Lord’s glory is great.”

Great glory. What a thought. The glory of God, which none of us have seen yet, must be beyond anything we might describe as spectacular or stupendous. The Bible describes it for us as a “bright cloud” that outshines the sun in the daytime, and a fiery cloud by night that lights the way for all who follow.

Great glory. One day, we will get to see it.

Lord, We thank You for our call upward toward Christ Jesus, and Him we follow. We thank You for “the day” that is ahead when we, too, will experience Your glory. Amen.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

So What Happened?

“By the rivers of Babylon – there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. There we hung up our lyres on the poplar trees, for our captors there asked us for songs, and our tormentors, for rejoicing: ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’” (Psalm 137:1-3 CSB)

The once mighty Israelite army and the fortresses of Jerusalem were shattered by the Babylonians. These were the people whose ancestors fought under Joshua and defeated every army that came against them. Now, brutalized by the Babylonians and taken captive to Babylon, their tormentors demanded to hear the songs of Zion. So what happened?

Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites won and prospered for one reason – the Lord fought for them. The Lord did this because at that time the Israelites were committed to Him and devoted to obedience. Centuries later, the Israelites had all but forgotten the Lord, the Law, and the worship of the Lord. At one point, Canaanite idols were even set up in the temple. The people turned away from the Lord, and they then reaped the harvest of what they had sown.

Anytime a people who call themselves the people of the Lord turn away from Him, they can expect to reap the profits of their own self-efforts. The Lord seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. God does not coerce. People are free to choose who they will serve. If people turn to themselves or to “other religions” or other forms of spirituality, their strength will be as strong as dust. But if people turn to the Lord, in Him they will find strength, victory, joy, and peace. It comes down to a choice we make.

Lord, We choose You, and we seek after You. Guide us into Your love and into the strength that You provide. Amen.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The Secret of Our Success

“Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.” (Joshua 10:42 CSB)

The Canaan Campaign was a sparkling success. The Israelite army defeated one city after another and several alliances of kings across Canaan. Joshua was in command of the army, and his leadership was stellar. His victories and exploits were huge and legendary. And what is so remarkable about all this is that the Israelite army had just come in from 40 years of wandering in the desert as a nomadic people, mostly herdsmen. They had fought a few battles prior to crossing the Jordan and had won them, but in Canaan they were going up against some of the best warriors around.

One verse in Joshua’s book explains the secret of their success. “The Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.” The Israelites were not better warriors or better equipped or stronger. They were successful because their God was the sovereign God of the universe, and this God fought for them and enabled their victory. He did this because of His promises to Israel and to the forefathers of the Israelites, and because these Israelites were obedient to Him, carrying out all of His commands.

Christians are involved in a “spiritual warfare,” a campaign against the evil one and the kingdom of darkness. Our strength is insufficient for this task. Our abilities fall short of what is needed to win. In fact, it is not even possible for us to win this fight in the strength that we have. The only possibility for success is for the Lord to fight for us, and for us to then engage the enemy alongside God and carry out His commands, His command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and to disciple the nations. The work of the Holy Spirit is the secret of our success.

Lord, All glory and honor to You, for Your power and strength are sufficient for anything and everything we need to experience this victory You promised. Amen.

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Necessity of Faith

“The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:16-17 CSB)

How interesting! The 11 disciples saw the resurrected Jesus on a mountain in Galilee. We do not know how soon after the resurrection this was, and we do not know who it was who doubted. The fact that some did doubt, however, raises a question or two: For what reason did they doubt? And what did they actually doubt?

We recall that when Jesus came walking on the water to the disciples during a storm on the Sea of Galilee, they were terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost. It may well be that some doubted the resurrection because they thought that maybe this was just the “ghost” of Jesus, and not a real body.

We should also recall the parable Jesus told about the rich man and Lazarus. At the end of the parable Lazarus asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his brothers about the place where he was. Lazarus was certain that if Lazarus were resurrected his brothers would repent and believe. But Abraham said, “No, even if someone were to return from the dead, they will not believe.” So, it may also have been a stubbornness of heart in some of the disciples.

This suggests something to us about the resurrection. The resurrection is not necessarily a cause for faith; rather, it is something that is received by faith. Even those disciples who did not doubt received what they saw by faith. Their minds did not go to the "ghost" idea, and they believed and trusted that this was the resurrected Jesus. We sometimes think that they believed because they saw, meaning that they did not really have to believe per se because they knew the resurrection to be a fact. Possibly, but the reality appears to be otherwise. The reality is that they saw, and then believed. Their belief eventually became so strong that it became a certainty for them, or, knowledge that Jesus was in fact resurrected.

Today, some will say, “If I were to see Him, then I would believe.” Not necessarily so. Remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Faith is an essential ingredient for receiving the resurrection as the truth.

Lord, We believe in You, and we believe the truth of Your resurrection. We pray for all who doubt it, that they may come to faith and truly believe that You were in fact raised from the dead. Amen.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

30 Pieces of Silver

“Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: They took the 30 pieces of silver, the price of Him whose price was set by the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.” (Matthew 27:9-10 CSB)

There are a number of tragedies in the Bible but none so great as that of Judas Iscariot. No one knows what his motivations were for his actions. Folks out in Hollywood have tried to make Judas into a good guy, a misunderstood guy, a victim kind of guy. The fact is, however, no one can know what was in his heart and mind that led him to do what he did. All we can know is what he did.

When Judas saw that Jesus had been condemned, he was “full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.” (verse 3) He acknowledged that he had betrayed innocent blood. That suggests that he had some reason for betraying Jesus, but we cannot know what it was. Judas had gone to the chief priests and elders and had agreed to betray Jesus to them for 30 pieces of silver, which was the price of a slave. When remorse set in, he tried to return the money, but the chief priests and elders refused to take it back because it was “blood money.” So Judas threw the silver into the sanctuary and went and hanged himself. The chief priests then took the money and bought the “potter’s field” as a burial site for foreigners.

Consider these quotes from Jeremiah and Zechariah.

“Then my cousin Hanamel came to the guard’s courtyard as the Lord had said and urged me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for you own the right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out to him the money – 17 shekels of silver.” (Jeremiah 32:8-9 CSB) At the time this transpired, Jerusalem was surrounded by the Babylonians and about to fall. Who in their right mind would buy a field that was about to fall into enemy hands? Yet, the Lord had told Jeremiah to do this. It was a prophetic message about redemption and hope.

“Then I said to them, ‘If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ So they weighed my wages, 30 pieces of silver. ‘Throw it to the potter,’ the Lord said to me – this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter.’” (Zechariah 11:12-13 CSB)

Considering these verses and what we see in Matthew, we can see a number of important words emerge: inheritance, redemption, burial, blood. While these 30 pieces of silver certainly represent the betrayal of Jesus, they may also be considered as symbolic of the event that was about to take place, one where blood would be given for our redemption, establishing an inheritance for us, one that would come only after burial. This simply reveals the power of God to take something evil and redemptively turn it into something good.

Lord, We thank You for the power of Your redemption, which has brought forgiveness to each of us who believe in Jesus. May we ever be faithful to You. Amen.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Gateways Beyond Ourselves

“And Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75 CSB)

Obviously, we cannot know what thoughts and emotions were going through Peter’s mind and heart as he stood there with the temple police warming himself by their fire. We do know that when Judas led the police to where Jesus was in order to arrest Him that Peter is the one who sprang into action and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Malchus. We also know that Jesus rebuked Peter. Again. We know that Peter, along with the other disciples, fled and scattered when the arrest took place. But Peter apparently showed up in the courtyard of the high priest’s home. Given the history and background, it would seem safe to conclude that fear was the dominant emotion running rampant through Peter, and it was this that led to his three denials.

Fear is the fruit of our self-preservation need, and, in turn, it feeds our self-preservation need. The need to survive is meshed with fear, which then drives our actions toward self-preservation. In itself, there is nothing wrong with this, since God created us with this capacity. Whatever dominates us is our master, however, and if fear is the main driving force of our lives and decisions and actions, it then makes us its servant and thereafter colors everything we do. When fear takes on this proportion in our hearts, we then, ironically, are following a self-centered life. That is what happened to Peter. At that point in his life, it was still all about him and his self-effort, his self-determination. He went outside (and metaphorically “outside” as well) and wept bitterly because he was so much weaker than he thought he was. His determination was insufficient, because fear dominated him.

The crucifixion, the resurrection, the post-resurrection encounters and instructions, and the coming of the Holy Spirit eventually led Peter beyond his fear and his own self-effort and self-determination by pointing him to a higher purpose, to a cause and a love that was worth dying for.

Understanding, commitment, and trust are the gateways that lead us beyond ourselves and our fears and our pride. Those are the keys that unlock the gate to the freedom to serve our Lord.

Lord, Turn the keys. Please. Amen.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Faith Following

“After three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, ‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you must break camp and follow it.” (Joshua 3:2-3 CSB)

Following the safe return of the two spies from Jericho, excitement grew for Joshua and his officers when they heard the report. They knew then it was time to cross the Jordan. So, the officers readied the people, and from what we observe here, we understand at least three elements of what following the Lord in faith means.

The first element of following in faith is getting ready. Preparations had to be made to break camp, pack everything up, and deal with the multitude of logistics involved in moving nearly three million people across a river at one time. This suggests to us that faith has a planning stage. There may be times when God tells us to simply act in faith, but it is just as true that God expects us to go through all the preparatory phases so that we can act in faith.

The second element of following in faith is watching. The officers told the people that they were to maintain a distance of about 1,000 yards from the ark of the covenant, so that they could all see when the Levitical priests picked it up. When they saw that, they would know then that it is time for them to move. The ark of the covenant of the Lord represented the presence of the Lord. Today, we do not need a gold-covered wooden box to represent God’s presence, since the Holy Spirit now dwells in each of us to be His presence. Even so, faith calls for us to be observant, to be perceptive, to be watching for how God is working, so that we can join Him in what He is doing in timely ways.

The third element of following in faith is action. When the priests walked down into the water, the people were to then move out and follow and cross over the Jordan, trusting that God was going to stop the water flow (then at flood stage) so they could cross on dry ground as promised. Faith always leads ultimately to action. Without action, there is no real faith. For faith to be real, we must always act on it, demonstrating our trust in God.

Preparing, watching, and acting are all three part of what it means to follow the Lord in faith.

Lord, Today may each of us demonstrate this kind of faith as we seek to follow You and be faithful to You. Amen.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Faithful Managers

"A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God’s mysteries. In this regard, it is expected of managers that each be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2 CSB)

Jesus told a parable about a man who entrusted his estate to three servants, also referred to as managers, stewards, and slaves. He gave one manager five talents of gold, two talents of gold to the second, and one talent of gold to the third. He then went away for awhile. When he returned for an accounting, the first manager reported a 100% gain of five more talents of gold. The second manager gained two more talents of gold, or a 100% gain. The third manager gained nothing. He had buried the gold and done nothing with it, so he just brought it back to the master. The owner commended the first two managers for their faithfulness, but he scolded the third manager and had him thrown out.

Question: Why did the owner take this action against the third manager? He did so for two reasons: 1) the man had an opportunity before him but totally disregarded it and, thus, the owner as well, and 2) the manager demonstrated faithlessness; he was not faithful to the master in the least, which means there was no faith to begin with.

Faithfulness presupposes faith. Faith always results in faithfulness, so when faithfulness is not there, then neither is faith. When we see faithfulness, that points us to faith. The one requirement of a manager or steward is faith that is demonstrated by faithfulness. That is what honors God.

Lord, May our faith be expressed and demonstrated to the world we live in this day, and may that bring glory and honor to You. Amen.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Building with Care

“If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13 CSB)

Believers in the Corinthian church were factious. Some were of the “Paul faction,” some of the “Peter faction,” and some of the “Apollos faction.” Then, there were those of the “Christ faction.” Battle lines were drawn according to faction.

The divisions in the Corinthian church greatly distressed Paul, and it was much the background subject of what he had to say to them. He made the point strongly that there was only one Foundation for the church, and that is Jesus Christ. All that has followed since then has been that which is built on the one Foundation. Every individual builds on it, and every church corporately builds on it.

Paul used a very interesting metaphor to help us think about how we build on the Foundation of Christ. Essentially, he points to two types of building materials: 1) those that can be destroyed by fire, and 2) those that cannot. Wood, hay, and straw, which were common building materials in Paul’s day, cannot withstand fire. Gold, silver, and costly stones can survive fire. Part of his point is that “fire” is going to come, so that each man’s work and each woman’s work as well is going to be tested for its durability.

This text is pointing us toward our stewardship as servants of the Lord. The main point Paul is making is that each of us must take careful thought with regard to how we build and what we build on the Foundation. We need to be sure that we build in ways that will endure, in ways that will provide a lasting testimony to the glory of God. Careful thought which focuses on the eternal leads us toward building that yields that kind of testimony.

Lord, Help us to take the time to give the kind of thought to our service to You that will guide us toward building for the eternal, for that will brings the greater glory to You. Amen.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Real Security

“Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 CSB)

The day of Moses’ death was rapidly approaching, and he summoned Israel to gather and hear the word of the Lord. Among other admonitions he made was this one above. He knew that Israel was about to have a new leader – Joshua – and that they were about to cross the Jordan where they would face battle and struggle and temptation. He knew the rumors that were abundant among the Israelites about the strength of the foes they would face in Canaan. Therefore, he needed for them to understand the greater spiritual reality that would provide them with a far greater security than their bows, arrows, and swords. He reminded them that the Lord was going there with them, and that the Lord would never leave them or forsake them.

We all face numerous struggles and temptations and “battles” in life, and these can create all sorts of insecurities within. They have the potential for even paralyzing us into inaction. But what we have to remember is that the Lord our God is walking with us, as we walk with Him, and He will never ever leave us or forsake us or abandon us. He is always with us, as He promised He would be. The fact of His indwelling presence in us through the Holy Spirit creates real security in the face of any life situation we may encounter. God is trustworthy and faithful, and He will be with us to guide and strengthen us.

Father, We thank You that You never leave or forsake us, and that You go with us into each day. May we rely on You and Your strength each day. Amen.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Two Sons

“But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go, work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I don’t want to! Yet later he changed his mind and went. Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered. But he didn’t go. Which of the two did his father’s will? ‘The first,’ they said.” (Matthew 21:28-31 CSB)

Jesus told this parable in the temple complex during the days leading up to His crucifixion, and He told it during the challenges that came from the priests, scribes, and Pharisees. He followed the parable with a rather terse statement to these men, to say to them that those who do the will of God are not those who say they will but don’t, but rather are those who may first say they will not but then turn around and actually do carry out the will of God. His point was that those people these men considered “sinners” who repented at the preaching of John the Baptist would enter the kingdom of God, while those who considered themselves righteous before God but who rejected the will of God by not believing John and coming to repentance would not enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus was not saying that it is those who do good works who enter the kingdom; it is those who repent, turn to God in faith, and then carry out the will of God as a result of their faith who enter the kingdom.

Later on, as recorded in John’s gospel, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.” We do not carry out His commandments in order to get Him to love us, because His love for us is already at the maximum. We carry out His commandments because we love Him. Pure and simple.

Lord, Today, may we remember all that You have commanded us, and may we out of our love for You do what You have commanded. Amen.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Servant Leaders

“But Jesus called them over and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life – a ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20:25-28 CSB)

The world has known many great leaders in human history, people who changed the course of history in some way or had an impact far beyond their immediate life. Names come to mind like Joseph, Hammurabi, Moses, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Buddha, Constantine, Mohammad, Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther, George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and on and on. But atop the list of all of them is the name “Jesus.” Jesus was the greatest Leader of all time. And His leadership was unlike anything the world would expect. His leadership was “servant leadership.”

The kind of leadership the world espouses is the kind that uses force in some measure to lead people to conform to the dictates of the leader. Jesus pointed out that fact to the disciples, who were used to and expecting that kind of leadership. At the same time, He pointed out to them that anyone who wants to become great – in that case, this applied to all of the disciples, not just James and John – must become a servant and the slave of all, following His example. The world tends to see this as weakness, but actually, just the opposite is true. A servant leader is one who unlocks the potential of others and empowers them to accomplish their goals. The leader accomplishes his goals at the same time when he or she does this.

If John Maxwell’s definition of leadership is correct (he says that leadership is influence), then servant leadership is the highest expression of that concept, because through influence another person to become the best that he or she can possibly become, the leader’s influence grows continually in the perceptions of those who have been “freed up” to fulfill their potential. And if leadership is influence, every one of us can lead others in at least some measure. If we want to be the best leaders we can be, then servant leadership is the way to do this.

Lord, Help us today to implement Your teachings about leadership, for Your glory. Amen.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

All Things Are Possible

"But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 CSB)

The context of the verse above is the story of the “rich young ruler.” Jesus had said to the disciples that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. This disciples’ response was, “Then who can be saved?” Then came the words of Jesus in the verse above.

Jesus was not saying that rich people cannot be saved. He was using something called “hyperbole” (exaggeration) to make the point that those who are rich are often so drawn to their wealth that God and their commitment to Him and to faith are either a much lower priority or irrelevant to them. To make sure the disciples understood His meaning, He then said that with God all things are possible.

That is the background of this verse, but the principle is true in all situations. All things are indeed possible with God.

One reason this is true is that God is the One who decides what will and will not be done. He has the sovereign authority to make any decision He wants to me, and He always makes the right decision.

Another reason all things are possible with God is that God has the power to do anything. There is nothing God cannot accomplish. He not only has all authority, but He has all power.

All of us face situations that may appear to have resolutions that are impossible, sooner or later. We may not be able to see beyond the problem, to begin with, and even if we do, we still may not see any way that WE can bring resolution. But as believers, we know that all things are possible with God, and, therefore, to Him we appeal and present our requests. We then must trust Him to either do what we have asked, or to tell us to wait, or to tell us no. We must trust that God knows what He is doing.

Lord, We recognize that with You all things are possible. In those situations, or events, or circumstances, or problems, help us to bring them to You and trust You to do what is right. Amen.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Transfigured

“He was transformed in front of them, and His face show like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2 CSB)

What an awesome experience that must have been! Peter, James, and John were invited up the mountain with Jesus to witness this event. Before their very eyes Jesus was transfigured. The word used for this is the one that gives us our word “metamorphosis,” which is the process we use to describe how a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly. The appearance of Jesus’ face and His clothes as well were transfigured and glowed brightly with brilliant light. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus. Since Peter, James, and John had never met those two, it is likely that they knew this either because Jesus spoke their names or later told them that it was Moses and Elijah. What terrified Peter, James, and John the most, however, was when a bright cloud enveloped them and they heard a voice that said, “This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him!” Jesus then led them down the mountain, with the command that they not tell anyone about the event until after the resurrection. The reason for this was something scholars call “the messianic secret,” which means that Jesus did not want some aspects of His experiences revealed to the public, because He wanted to prevent people from coming to try to make Him an earthly king.

Things are not always the way they appear to be. We live in this physical reality, and to us that is what constitutes reality. We do not know anything else, experientially at least. So, we have a tendency to think that what we see is what we get. But the transfiguration of Jesus teaches us that there is another reality, a higher reality and existence. It teaches us that the reality we know here on this earth pales by comparison to the reality to which we are going as believers, and that that reality will be brilliant with light and glory from the presence of God. In a words, we call this “heaven.” And for us, there will come a “transfiguration” that will usher us into the very presence of the Lord Jesus Himself.

Something to look forward to.

Lord, We thank You for this brief “revelation” of heaven that gives us such assurance and peace. Amen.