To Encourage You

1 Peter 1:16-19 “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

Have you ever thought about what it must have been like to have seen Jesus, as Peter, James, and John did, when he was transfigured before them?   In that experience, they saw Jesus, Who was not impressive in his physical appearance (Isaiah 53:2), transfigured so that “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2).  And at the same time that they were overwhelmed by this vision of the inner glory of Christ, they heard the audible words of God Himself, speaking to them from Heaven. This changed their lives. This experience gave them a view of Christ that they had otherwise not experienced, although they had seen much evidence of this glory through all the things He had said and done in their presence, previously.  They would never forget it, and they would sacrifice everything to glorify and honor this Son of God as long as they would live.  Their lives became such examples of virtue and godliness that we still talk about them today, over 2,000 years later. 

But Peter tells us in the verses above that there is something even greater than the physical appearance of the glorified Christ that can likewise transform each one of our lives.  He calls it “the prophetic word more fully confirmed” which is like a “lamp shining in a dark place.”  He is speaking here of the Word of God, the Bible.  Paul speaks of this same thing when he says “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Paul is speaking here of the new covenant, the New Testament, that reveals the glory of Christ as we read it, and that works to transform US into the Lord’s glorious image as we peer into it and the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the meaning of the words. 

So, do you want to see Jesus?  Do you want to have your life transformed just like Peter did as he viewed the transfigured Christ on the mountain and heard the very words of God with his physical ears?  There is a way to do this, and it’s not difficult.  It comes to us as a gift from God as we look into the face of Christ by reading His glorious Word, believe what it says, and act upon it.  It has the power to change our lives, to show us things that we will never forget, and to make us into people that reflect the glory of the God that is revealed in its pages. 

May God help us to open His book, and both see and hear Christ in its pages.