For me!
"The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!" Galatians 2:20
Is Jesus precious to my heart?
Is He the object of my supreme admiration and delight?
Does He have my warmest affection?
Do I love Jesus above all?
I must light the torch of my affection for Christ--at the altar of Calvary. I must go there, and learn and believe what the love of Jesus is to me--the vastness of that love--the self-sacrifice of that love--how that love of Jesus . . .
labored for me,
and wept for me,
and bled for me,
and suffered for me,
and died for me!
labored for me,
and wept for me,
and bled for me,
and suffered for me,
and died for me!
Can I stand before this love--this love . . .
so precious,
so great,
so enduring,
so self-consuming,
so changeless--and know that . . .
His sin-atoning sacrifice was for me,
His cross was for me,
His agony was for me,
His scorn and insult was for me,
His death was for me--
and feel no sensibility, no emotion, no love to Jesus? Impossible!
so precious,
so great,
so enduring,
so self-consuming,
so changeless--and know that . . .
His sin-atoning sacrifice was for me,
His cross was for me,
His agony was for me,
His scorn and insult was for me,
His death was for me--
and feel no sensibility, no emotion, no love to Jesus? Impossible!
Do not be cast down, then, in vain regrets that your love to Christ is so frigid, so fickle, so dubious. Go and muse upon the reality and the greatness of the Savior's love to you--and if love can inspire love--while you muse, the fire will burn, and your soul shall be all in flame with love to Jesus!
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Matthew 17:1-6
(1) Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; (2) and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. (3) And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. (4) Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (5) While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" (6) And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
New King James Version
New King James Version
Jesus clearly calls this mysterious occurrence a "vision" (verse 9). It was not reality but a glimpse of what the future held for Jesus Christ.
The word "transfigured" in verse 2 sounds esoteric, but it is merely the passive form of the Greek word metamorphoo, meaning "changed in form" or "transformed." This same word is used in the well-known Romans 12:2, ". . . be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . . ." Unlike Matthew and Mark, Luke uses the phrase egeneto heteron, translated as "was altered" and meaning "became different" (Luke 9:29). In the vision, the three disciples saw Jesus change to the form He will have in God's Kingdom, which He alluded to in Matthew 16:28.
Why did Moses and Elijah appear with Him? This is where the events of Matthew 16 become important. These two servants of God were the most revered among all the Old Testament figures. Moses, the Great Lawgiver, personified the Law, and Elijah, the Archetypal Prophet, the Prophets. Evidently, the vision depicted Moses and Elijah speaking to Jesus in a servant-Master relationship, but the disciples failed to see this vital distinction.
Notice how Peter puts it. "Let's make three tabernacles, one for each of you." The other accounts say he did not really know what he was saying, meaning that he had missed something in his fear, that he spoke without thinking it through (Mark 9:6; Luke 9:33).
What happened as a result of his thoughtless comment? Notice that Matthew writes, "While he was still speaking. . . ." This is a big clue. God, immediately seeing that the disciples did not understand, took steps to make it plain. To paraphrase what God says, "Look! Jesus is MY beloved Son, and He has MY highest approval. Listen to what HE says! He is far greater than Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets."
This is why the transfiguration occurred. God wanted to make it very clear to the disciples that His way of life is based on the life and death and life again of Jesus Christ, not on the Jews' traditional beliefs. He had to stun the disciples so that they would put Jesus and His teachings on a higher level than Judaism—even higher than the teachings of Moses and Elijah.
Whatever Jesus says is far more important to our salvation than the minutiae of Moses' law or the vagaries of prophecy. In many instances, Jesus makes upgrades to Old Testament law, giving a higher, spiritual meaning (for instance, Matthew 5:21-22). Hear Him!
~Richard T. Ritenbaugh~
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Why?
Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook--which may be running today, and dried up tomorrow.
Why?
To teach us not to rest in our blessings--but in the blesser Himself.
"Hold me up--and I shall be safe!" Psalm 119:117
"So do not fear--for I am with you! Do not be dismayed--for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand!" Isaiah 41:10
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