On the mountaintop where Jesus was so gloriously and brightly transfigured (Mark 9:2-3), the Father spoke and said, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" (Mark 2:7, emphasis mine).
Just a moment prior, Peter—who was a present witness at the transfiguration—opened his mouth and spoke, somewhat comically, not really knowing what to say (Mark 9:5-6). But when the Father spoke immediately afterwards, as recorded for us by Mark, he did so in a way that takes our focus off of Peter's words and places it on Jesus' instead. Why did our Father do this? There are probably many reasons why, but one big reason is that our human perspective can often be faulty or even foolish. Therefore, we need the divine perspective. So the Father encourages us to listen to his Son, our Savior. After all, he is the one with "words of eternal life" (John 6:68). His Words—really, all of God's Word—is what our famished souls need in this life (Much more than human wisdom that can often lead us astray).
This week, be encouraged to feed on the Word of God. Just as your body needs oxygen and water and food, your soul needs God's Word. If you don't have a physical Bible in your possession, you can always read your favorite translation on biblegateway.com or you can download a Bible app from the iOS App Store or Google Play. Set up some reminders or alarms on your phone to spend time with God in his Word on a daily basis. And as you read. be encouraged to meditate on these three basic questions:
What is the passage teaching me about God?
What is the passage teaching me about myself?
What is the passage encouraging me to do or change in my life so I could look more like Jesus?
Listen to him, and see what he might do in your life as a result.
Scripture for Meditation
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).
Prayer
Dear God, help me to listen to you more consistently through your Word. Lead me to do the things I need to do to spend time with you, so that my soul might find more hope, more encouragement, and more strength in you—so I could live and love more like Jesus, and that everyone around me could see and know him through me. Amen.
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