Mark 9:1-7
Then he drove it home by saying, “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”
Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus.
Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.
Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever heard someone talk of an encounter with another person in which they described a turning point experience? Perhaps they said something like, “In that moment, I saw him for who he really was,” or “For the first time, I fully understood where she was coming from.” More than one of us has said something like, “I thought I knew So-and-So until THIS happened.” Sometimes, our entire perception of someone else can change in a matter of minutes.
Peter, James and John had a unique and profound experience with Jesus. God allowed them to see Him as much more than a “mere mortal.” He revealed the full glory of Jesus to them, and as described, Jesus all but glowed in brilliant white clothing. The trio was engulfed in a light-radiant cloud as they heard the voice of God himself. To say that this was a moment of transformation - a turning point for these three men - would be an understatement! And God’s statement…“This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to Him”… is powerful!
Sadly, many of us fail to recognize the full glory of Jesus. He never becomes more than a “man among men” to us. We talk about who Jesus was/is… how important He is to us. But we don’t fully get it. While we most likely will never have such a literal “aha moment” as Peter, James and John, our relationship with Jesus can be transformed in an intense and no-less-life-changing manner. When we fully grasp what it means to be marked by God’s love… when we begin to truly comprehend the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifices on our behalf and what it means to serve Him, we can’t help but be forever changed.
I like the image of Jesus in His glory… the awesomeness of the blinding light and the whiter than bleached clothing. It humbles me to think about Someone of this magnitude caring about the most mundane parts of my life. When I consider Jesus as “the Kingdom of God in full force,” I am wowed, astounded, and transformed! We talk about serving a mighty God, but we don’t truly picture Him this way – at least not often enough!
I encourage you to stop for a few minutes and consider Jesus in all of His glory. Re-read this passage and imagine every facet of His appearance… the blinding bright light… the whiteness of his garments… the glow that radiates from Him, and the cloud of radiant light that encompasses you as you stand before Him. Humble yourself in Jesus’ presence… picture Him embracing you in His arms. See Jesus for who He truly is… and revere Him for loving you so deeply.
I dare you to do all of this and not feel just a tad overwhelmed! Jesus’ love for us truly is astounding. We would do well to take a few minutes to bask in His glory… to give Him praise and thanks for accepting us in our unworthiness… and to marvel at His magnificence. Have you truly seen Jesus in His brilliance? Isn’t it time you did?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label glory of the Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glory of the Lord. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 12, 2011
Psalm 63:1-8
You are my God. I worship you. In my heart, I long for you, as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert. I have seen your power and your glory in the place of worship. Your love means more than life to me, and I praise you. As long as I live, I will pray to you. I will sing joyful praises and be filled with excitement like a guest at a banquet.
I think about you before I go to sleep, and my thoughts turn to you during the night. You have helped me, and I sing happy songs in the shadow of your wings. I stay close to you, and your powerful arm supports me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Death is a fact of life. And the older I get, the more funerals I seem to be attending. Many of the friends and relatives in my grandparents’ age group are gone now… along with most of the folks in my childhood neighborhood, who were “satellite grandparents” to me and my siblings. Now, people in my parents’ circle of friends are beginning to decline – and go to heaven. It’s not really a sad time… more bittersweet… because I know they are receiving a great reward for their faithfulness on this earth, and they are happy in the face-to-face company of Jesus and those who went before them.
But all the same, there is some understandable sadness for those who are left behind, because these people are missed. God understands this… and He blesses us with memories… moments to reflect on our time with these people… and hopefully a time to laugh and smile as we think about what they meant to us and events we shared.
And so it is with a man named Dickie… a friend of my parents… the son of my childhood neighbor, Mary… who passed away recently. My personal association with Dickie goes back to a time when I was probably ten or eleven years old. Every Sunday morning in the summer, Dickie would come to our house around 8:00 and pick me up, and we would drive to DamSite Park, where he and I conducted a “lakeside worship” service for campers and visitors to our area. Dickie would unpack an old blue box “pump organ” from the trunk of his car and set it up for me. I would pass out hymnals and brochures about our church. We would sing a couple of hymns while I played the organ – “Blessed Assurance” was a favorite! – and then Dickie would read Scripture and deliver a few words. It was all over in time for us to get home and dress for our own Sunday-school and church services.
I don’t know how many years we did this… but I was thinking that Dickie was probably in his forties then. I wondered how many 40-something men would be so faithful and committed these days. For as long as I can remember, Dickie has been a faithful servant of his church and his LORD… until Alzheimer’s rendered him unable to be active in recent months.
Lest you think Dickie had a cushy life that made serving God easy, let me set things straight. Dickie lost his only son, Steve, to cancer in the 1980s after a long, gut-wrenching battle and dozens of experimental treatments. He suffered more than one bout with Bell’s Palsy, a weakness and paralysis of the facial muscles. Then he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But he kept going.
He traveled with his wife and their friends… often in an RV caravan… across the country and back – frequently visiting places out West… Arizona, California, and even Alaska. He and his wife participated in “car shows” – showcasing Steve’s prized Shelby and other Mustangs that Dickie restored. And Dickie served in many capacities in his home church, including substituting as a Sunday-school teacher for a men’s class when the regular teacher would be away… sometimes for months at a time.
When I think of my friend Dickie, I think of a man of great integrity and faith… someone who paid attention to details… whether on the car he was restoring, the gas heating unit he was installing or repairing in his propane business, or the materials he carried to a campground pavilion each Sunday to bring the Good News to weekend visitors. I think of someone who knew the power and glory of God… that no matter what he endured on this earth, this God would reward him well in heaven… someone who shared his faith and trust in God with others.
Today, I celebrate the faithful service of my friend Dickie… and I recognize God’s love and strength through his model of Christian service. We would do well to look around at the shining examples among us of those who rest in God and realize their salvation comes from him. We can learn much from people like Dickie. Look around for your own models of faith and service… those who dance and praise God in the shadow of His wings. We should strive to be more like them. We, too, must stay close to God and lean on His arms for support… until He calls us home for our own reward.
©2011 Debbie Robus
You are my God. I worship you. In my heart, I long for you, as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert. I have seen your power and your glory in the place of worship. Your love means more than life to me, and I praise you. As long as I live, I will pray to you. I will sing joyful praises and be filled with excitement like a guest at a banquet.
I think about you before I go to sleep, and my thoughts turn to you during the night. You have helped me, and I sing happy songs in the shadow of your wings. I stay close to you, and your powerful arm supports me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Death is a fact of life. And the older I get, the more funerals I seem to be attending. Many of the friends and relatives in my grandparents’ age group are gone now… along with most of the folks in my childhood neighborhood, who were “satellite grandparents” to me and my siblings. Now, people in my parents’ circle of friends are beginning to decline – and go to heaven. It’s not really a sad time… more bittersweet… because I know they are receiving a great reward for their faithfulness on this earth, and they are happy in the face-to-face company of Jesus and those who went before them.
But all the same, there is some understandable sadness for those who are left behind, because these people are missed. God understands this… and He blesses us with memories… moments to reflect on our time with these people… and hopefully a time to laugh and smile as we think about what they meant to us and events we shared.
And so it is with a man named Dickie… a friend of my parents… the son of my childhood neighbor, Mary… who passed away recently. My personal association with Dickie goes back to a time when I was probably ten or eleven years old. Every Sunday morning in the summer, Dickie would come to our house around 8:00 and pick me up, and we would drive to DamSite Park, where he and I conducted a “lakeside worship” service for campers and visitors to our area. Dickie would unpack an old blue box “pump organ” from the trunk of his car and set it up for me. I would pass out hymnals and brochures about our church. We would sing a couple of hymns while I played the organ – “Blessed Assurance” was a favorite! – and then Dickie would read Scripture and deliver a few words. It was all over in time for us to get home and dress for our own Sunday-school and church services.
I don’t know how many years we did this… but I was thinking that Dickie was probably in his forties then. I wondered how many 40-something men would be so faithful and committed these days. For as long as I can remember, Dickie has been a faithful servant of his church and his LORD… until Alzheimer’s rendered him unable to be active in recent months.
Lest you think Dickie had a cushy life that made serving God easy, let me set things straight. Dickie lost his only son, Steve, to cancer in the 1980s after a long, gut-wrenching battle and dozens of experimental treatments. He suffered more than one bout with Bell’s Palsy, a weakness and paralysis of the facial muscles. Then he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But he kept going.
He traveled with his wife and their friends… often in an RV caravan… across the country and back – frequently visiting places out West… Arizona, California, and even Alaska. He and his wife participated in “car shows” – showcasing Steve’s prized Shelby and other Mustangs that Dickie restored. And Dickie served in many capacities in his home church, including substituting as a Sunday-school teacher for a men’s class when the regular teacher would be away… sometimes for months at a time.
When I think of my friend Dickie, I think of a man of great integrity and faith… someone who paid attention to details… whether on the car he was restoring, the gas heating unit he was installing or repairing in his propane business, or the materials he carried to a campground pavilion each Sunday to bring the Good News to weekend visitors. I think of someone who knew the power and glory of God… that no matter what he endured on this earth, this God would reward him well in heaven… someone who shared his faith and trust in God with others.
Today, I celebrate the faithful service of my friend Dickie… and I recognize God’s love and strength through his model of Christian service. We would do well to look around at the shining examples among us of those who rest in God and realize their salvation comes from him. We can learn much from people like Dickie. Look around for your own models of faith and service… those who dance and praise God in the shadow of His wings. We should strive to be more like them. We, too, must stay close to God and lean on His arms for support… until He calls us home for our own reward.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for February17, 2011
Exodus 34:29-35
Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the LORD had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him. Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.
The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the LORD. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the LORD had told him to say. They could see that his face was still shining. So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the LORD.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My mother told me about a woman she met recently in a theater lobby in Wickenburg, Arizona. The lady – Betty – was 102, and Mom said she had a pretty smile – and beautiful teeth. She said you would never guess that Betty was 102, and from what Mom described, the woman practically glowed with “youthfulness” and energy that belied her age. I bet if you stop and think about it, you know someone like Betty… maybe not someone who is 102, but someone who seems to practically radiate light toward whomever they encounter.
If we want to get right to it, as Christians we should all be radiating the light of Christ. Our faces should be shining with His glory. If you read Exodus 33 and 34, you will see that Moses didn’t literally see God’s face. God told Moses that no one could handle the full glory of seeing His face. But Moses heard God’s voice… he knew that God passed by him and shielded Himself from view by hiding Moses in the cleft of a rock. So, if Moses glowed from an inadvertent encounter with God, can’t we?
This comes down to a question of our faith. If we truly believe that God is with us… if we truly feel His presence and “hear” his voice… then our faces should shine with His glory. Others should notice something distinctly special about us… not in a negative way or one that makes us a show-off… but rather, a “presence” about us that reflects our relationship with God. It should be clearly evident to others that we have spent time in communication with our Heavenly Father… and the joy, peace, positive attitude, confidence, hope, faith, compassion, and more that we exhibit to others should be our “glow.”
What about you? Have you had a “close encounter” with God lately? Do you radiate His love, grace and mercy to others in such a way that either you almost need to cover your face with a veil – or others need to put on sunglasses? How bright is your “glow” these days? Is it time you spent a little time in God’s presence for a “recharge?”
©2011 Debbie Robus
Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the LORD had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him. Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.
The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the LORD. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the LORD had told him to say. They could see that his face was still shining. So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the LORD.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My mother told me about a woman she met recently in a theater lobby in Wickenburg, Arizona. The lady – Betty – was 102, and Mom said she had a pretty smile – and beautiful teeth. She said you would never guess that Betty was 102, and from what Mom described, the woman practically glowed with “youthfulness” and energy that belied her age. I bet if you stop and think about it, you know someone like Betty… maybe not someone who is 102, but someone who seems to practically radiate light toward whomever they encounter.
If we want to get right to it, as Christians we should all be radiating the light of Christ. Our faces should be shining with His glory. If you read Exodus 33 and 34, you will see that Moses didn’t literally see God’s face. God told Moses that no one could handle the full glory of seeing His face. But Moses heard God’s voice… he knew that God passed by him and shielded Himself from view by hiding Moses in the cleft of a rock. So, if Moses glowed from an inadvertent encounter with God, can’t we?
This comes down to a question of our faith. If we truly believe that God is with us… if we truly feel His presence and “hear” his voice… then our faces should shine with His glory. Others should notice something distinctly special about us… not in a negative way or one that makes us a show-off… but rather, a “presence” about us that reflects our relationship with God. It should be clearly evident to others that we have spent time in communication with our Heavenly Father… and the joy, peace, positive attitude, confidence, hope, faith, compassion, and more that we exhibit to others should be our “glow.”
What about you? Have you had a “close encounter” with God lately? Do you radiate His love, grace and mercy to others in such a way that either you almost need to cover your face with a veil – or others need to put on sunglasses? How bright is your “glow” these days? Is it time you spent a little time in God’s presence for a “recharge?”
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for January 12, 2011
Matthew 17:2
There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I like to sell some of my antiques and treasures online through websites like Etsy and eBay. One of the keys to making a sale is posting good pictures of your products. Antique glassware, jewelry, and similar objects are hard for amateurs like me to photograph well. I’ve researched and practiced, and I’ve learned a lot… and one of the keys to a great photo is proper lighting.
Direct lighting is too harsh and often distorts the true coloring of the object. Back lighting may create shadows and dark areas. The trick is to almost make the object look as if the light comes from within. You want to illuminate all of the beauty and the best assets of the piece… to showcase the item in all its glory and cause those who see it to say, “I have to have this!”
Now stick with me… think about your spiritual relationship. Not everyone has the “heavenly moment” we see depicted on television and in the movies, where choirs of angels sing and we are bathed in bright white light. I know that many people would love for their salvation experience to be this dramatic, but just because we don’t see bright light and hear choirs doesn’t mean we have not been transformed.
And that’s not the point. See, it’s not about the light… or the drama of our transformation. It’s about what we do with our salvation. Just like the antiques that may not benefit or “show well” in bright light or back lighting, our Christian witness is best presented when the “Light” comes from within. When we demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through our lives, we have the most impact for Jesus. We allow HIS light and glory to shine.
Peter, James, and John got to witness “the glory of the Lord.” We get to experience it as His Holy Spirit dwells within us and radiates outward. Just how brightly the Light shines is, in large part, up to us. Are you living in such a way that others see your witness and what God is doing in your life and say, “I have to have that for myself?” How much “glory” are others seeing in you these days?
©2010 Debbie Robus
There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I like to sell some of my antiques and treasures online through websites like Etsy and eBay. One of the keys to making a sale is posting good pictures of your products. Antique glassware, jewelry, and similar objects are hard for amateurs like me to photograph well. I’ve researched and practiced, and I’ve learned a lot… and one of the keys to a great photo is proper lighting.
Direct lighting is too harsh and often distorts the true coloring of the object. Back lighting may create shadows and dark areas. The trick is to almost make the object look as if the light comes from within. You want to illuminate all of the beauty and the best assets of the piece… to showcase the item in all its glory and cause those who see it to say, “I have to have this!”
Now stick with me… think about your spiritual relationship. Not everyone has the “heavenly moment” we see depicted on television and in the movies, where choirs of angels sing and we are bathed in bright white light. I know that many people would love for their salvation experience to be this dramatic, but just because we don’t see bright light and hear choirs doesn’t mean we have not been transformed.
And that’s not the point. See, it’s not about the light… or the drama of our transformation. It’s about what we do with our salvation. Just like the antiques that may not benefit or “show well” in bright light or back lighting, our Christian witness is best presented when the “Light” comes from within. When we demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through our lives, we have the most impact for Jesus. We allow HIS light and glory to shine.
Peter, James, and John got to witness “the glory of the Lord.” We get to experience it as His Holy Spirit dwells within us and radiates outward. Just how brightly the Light shines is, in large part, up to us. Are you living in such a way that others see your witness and what God is doing in your life and say, “I have to have that for myself?” How much “glory” are others seeing in you these days?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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