- And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Matthew 17:8 – A wonderful, yet terrifying, thing just unfolded in front of these three disciples. Invited by Jesus, the one they had been faithfully following for a good amount of time now, the four of them hike up the mountain. At the top they experienced something none could have imagined. Jesus drops His earthly mask and His glory is seen. Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Jesus. The shekinah glory of God envelops them and they hear the voice of the Father. All this was too much and they fell flat to the ground, not looking around. Yet, after Jesus gently directs them to get up, what do they see? The cloud of glory is gone, Moses is gone, and Elijah is gone. Only Jesus remained…and that was enough. Yet in our life, when everything else fades away and all that remains is only Jesus, is that enough for us? When the dream no longer exists, when the relationship we cherished ends, when the abundance is taken away, and all that remains in our life is Jesus only…is that enough for us? It’s a question that must be answered for in this life most everything has an expiration date. Relationships, jobs, money, school, trophies, and possessions all expire and will leave us one day. Yet in our story Jesus will never leave us and we’ll never exist a day for the rest of eternity without Him. If though Jesus is the only thing remaining, have you made the choice to say He alone is enough for you? As you begin to grow in your knowledge of the Lord, academic knowledge and relational knowledge, you will see how more than enough Jesus only is. In fact everything else will begin to fade in the background as we grow in our life with Jesus. Settle that Jesus only is more than enough for you, so when the other things in life come and go, you remain filled. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3339
- As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. Matthew 17:22-23 – They were greatly distressed because they hadn’t seen Sunday yet. Sure Jesus told them He was going to rise from the dead, but to them all they really understood was He was going to be killed and was leaving them. But when Sunday came they were no longer distressed. We must remember we are on the other side of Sunday. Jesus told them struggle was going to come then glory afterwards and we can look back and see what He said to be true. So today as God leads us in life and we encounter struggle, even the sort of struggles that overwhelmed and cause distress, we must remember that God has a plan for us through and after this struggle. Easter reminds us that our God isn’t the type to leave us in the struggle and fear of Friday. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 871
- And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Matthew 17:4-5 – Our passage today included the story of the transfiguration, where Jesus takes three of His disciples up a mountain to show them something amazing. Jesus shows them just a portion of His glory. In the midst of all this Moses and Elijah showed up and began speaking to Jesus. Peter, utterly amazed at all that was happening, proposed to build each of the three a tent, a temporary shelter that would be used during their Feast of Tabernacles. Yet what Peter was rashly doing was putting all three on the same level; something God quickly corrected. Peter wanted to spotlight all three, but God spotlighted only Jesus. Be careful that you aren’t lifting up things for glory that God isn’t focused on. Peter was wanting to glorify all three, God spoke only of His Son. While we may not be building a shrine for another person, is your story spotlighting and glorifying anything other than Jesus? Is work for you as important as Jesus? Would sports get a tent just as big as Jesus’ on your mountain? Would the hurt you’re holding onto get a tent as well because it’s getting so much attention from you? Remember, when God speaks of the things in your life that’s worth highlighting, spotlighting, and building a tent for, He’ll only speak of Himself. Are we then highlighting, spotlighting, and building a tent in our life for things God wouldn’t? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1967
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