Monday, June 2, 2008

Listen

I wasn't sure what to say about our passage today, Luke 9:28-36.

Then I realized it was right there in black and white: "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him."

I almost did what Peter did... I felt like I had to say or do something to add to the experience, when really, all we need to do is Listen to Jesus.

Try keeping that command at the front of your mind today... then tell us what He says. I promise to share as well.

2 comments:

Debbie Brown said...

It's sometimes hard to say, "This is what God said to me." I think it's because sometimes His words to us are so subtle and gentle, we don't realize He is talking to us. But soon you have a thought or a bit of wisdom that you didn't have before, and if we're honest about ourselves, we know we couldn't have come up with it on our own.

Spiritual conversations... His Spirit talking to ours. Oh, to have my ears more connected to that channel of His grace.

So here's what I "heard" since yesterday. Spiritually, I tend to focus on a lot of unanswered questions I have with God. And I love that I can ask Him about things I don't understand. But here's the thing he showed me: I need to have my focus on Christ alone, even while my questions hang there in the air, ready for Him to answer them.

There are usually many answers to questions, all depending on the perspective you hold. There are short term answers, and then there are answers that come when we have more knowledge and wisdom. And some of those answers may not come until we have the perspective of Heaven. But no matter what our perspective, even when we don't fully even understand our questions, the foundation to all of it is JESUS.

Anonymous said...

I find myself wondering why Elijah and Moses were sent down to talk to Jesus. Was this for Jesus' sake? Or was this for the disciples sake?

It could have been for Jesus' sake. We see later that Jesus was truly burdened by the ultimate sacrifice that He would make later. Moses and Elijah could have been a source of encouragement.

But I think that it was more likely for the disciples' sake. In this same chapter Jesus asked His disciples who the crowds said He was. They answered ,"some say John the Baptist, others Elijah." Then He asked who the disciples thought He was, and Peter answered ,"The Christ of God." Only Peter answered that question directly. Did the other disciples agree, or did they have other theories but were too ashamed to voice them? The appearance of Elijah and Moses standing next to Jesus would have proved in their minds that Jesus was not Elijah or Moses. The fact that Peter knew that they were Elijah and Moses was a miracle in itself. They didn't have cameras back then, how would they have known what they looked like; especially all lit up. My version says that Peter did not know what he was saying. The recognition of these two prophets must have been of God.

I think that God could have chosen to put some of the disciples doubts to rest with this appearance. Sometimes when we ask questions of Him, we need to wait for the answer and the listen intently to His counseling. Other times, He puts the answer right in our faces so that we cannot deny it. I love those times!