Only Jesus

Reading: Matthew 17; Proverbs 3 1 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. 4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” 6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. 7 Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. (Matthew 17:1-8 NLT) Jesus took his three closest followers to a remote spot on a mountain top to be alone with him. While they were there, a supernatural event, usually referred to as The Transfiguration, occurred. It’s like a window opened briefly between our reality and heaven, and Jesus appeared almost as he appeared to John many years later on the island of Patmos (see Revelation 1:9-20). Moses, from 1500 years earlier, and Elijah, from about 900 years earlier, appeared and were talking with Jesus. Amazing! Peter, James, and John got really excited about the experience—this had never happened before on earth—and Peter immediately came up with a plan to capture and sustain the experience. When the cloud cleared away, they saw Only Jesus! Here are some life lessons from this story:
• Spiritual experiences come, and then they’re gone. Only Jesus Remains.
• Friends and influencers come in and out of my life. Only Jesus Remains.
• Even if I try to sustain and maintain something God did in a moment or a season, Only Jesus Remains.
• I may become dependent on an organization, a position, or a source of provision, but eventually those all go away. Only Jesus Remains. Prayer: Father, Please forgive me for wanting to capture and maintain the blessing of a moment or a season. Forgive me for getting caught up in projects and positions and sources of provision. Help me to keep my eyes on Jesus. Only Jesus Remains! Amen.