Day 144 "His power will always overwhelm our flesh."

Day 144 Matthew 17:1-8 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. There are so many points that can be made in this passage that I struggle with choosing just one; however, one does stand out above all others to me, so here it goes. When the glory of God shows up you cannot help but react, you cannot help but submit, and you cannot avoid being overwhelmed at His glory. The presence of God makes things happen! I must confess that I am struggling at this writing with the way we Christians have minimized the power and awesomeness of God; somehow we have made Him harmless, mushy, and overly gentle, when the opposite is the actual truth. For one thing, any man in the presence of God is truly unable to control himself. The power contained in the creator causes the human fleshly body to react in ways that we may never understand; after all, He is Holy and we are not. Remember that this encounter the disciples had with God is being tempered by the presence of Jesus. Without His covering, I believe they would not have been able to even be here. So many times I have heard people make fun of others for how they react in the presence of God. Why would anyone do that? If you have ever experienced the true power of being in the presence of the Lord, two things are sure to be true: you will never fake it, and you will never make fun of people caught up in His glory. God is not a genie in a bottle we can call upon at our whim nor is He like a puppy dog, panting and waiting just to be called upon. He is a Holy God, filled with power beyond our comprehension and capable of creating universes and stars without effort, yet many of us mock Him by our actions, thoughts, and words. Following God is not a game, and Jesus is not a lifesaver. Choosing to follow God comes with a long list of requirements, one of which is believing who Jesus is and appreciating the magnitude of what He did. Abusing Christ and minimizing His sacrifice is not something I would recommend–this is serious stuff. Are you taking it serious enough? You'll need to answer that one for yourself. Daily Prayer: Father, I know I have not taken you serious enough; I have underestimated Your power and prevented its blessings by my lack of faith. Please forgive me, Lord, and teach me to understand, I pray. In Jesus’ name I ask these things. Amen. "His power will always overwhelm our flesh." Pastor Gene Burroughs