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View the devotional here: https://www.tiktok.com/@eradiovalverde/video/7199488104816954670?lang=en
Hear the devotional: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/Out-of-This-World-e1ushtj
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Matthew 17:1-9 New International Version Bible)
A happy and blessed Monday to you, dear Froemd. I pray the rich blessings of God be yours in awesome ways. We continue to be people of prayer asking prayers for those who have asked prayers from us. It is with a sad heart that we report that Mr. Michael Birdwell died this weekend. We pray God's comfort be with Betty and all who love Michael. I also ask prayers for my brother-in-law, Armando "Mando" Rosales, who's in the hospital with some issues, among them Covid and some heart concerns. Please pray for him and his family. Mando is Nellie's brother. Also, prayers for the family of Mr. Michael Ramirez, a young man whom Nellie and I have known for most of his life, who died this weekend; he died this weekend in San Antonio. Michael's older sister, Martha died not too long ago, and both of them were our childcare givers to our daughters when we lived in San Antonio. May God's comfort be with the family. Pray for one another. Pray for the needs of the world. Also, I just got a text message from Rev. George Barcus, whose wife Linda just underwent cancer treatment, and George writes, "She has some pain on her side and was having difficulty breathing, and they found she has some blood clots in her left lung. She's been admitted to the hospital in Flagstaff, AZ. Pray for her healing and George's comfort.
This past week on the campus of Asbury University, in Wilmore, KY, during their regularly scheduled worship service, a revival began. For three days the students that had gathered there, and loads more who decided to join them, did not leave as the Holy Spirit moved among that campus, then moved to another university, and even down the road to The University of Kentucky. God did a supernatural thing among mortals in an amazing, unexplainable way. God's ways are mysterious and powerful. God's ways are also loving and involved; God has a way to reach those who yearn for Him. It is a continuation of what God started in Jesus.
We can only imagine what the lives of the disciples was during their time with Jesus. The series The Chosen has done a superb job of showing us some of what may have been happening "behind the scenes" of some of the shared stories and miracles of our Lord. There was no telling what awaited them each day; some days great signs and wonders, others, trials and tribulations. Some days calm, some days filled with excitement. And then there was the prayer. Jesus practiced it and taught it to the disciples and some days were just difficult to explain or understand; this was one of those days. The big three of the disciples, Peter, James, and John are invited by Jesus to a mountain top experience. While the three were on the mountain, Jesus is transfigured right before their very own eyes. Transfiguration means that the outline of Jesus' body remained the same, but the inside was no longer flesh, it was revealing the divine nature of Him to them. The verse says, "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light." An attempt by Matthew to record that which he never forgot; Jesus was not truly of this world, while yes, He was. And to accent this, there appears to them two characters of the Old Testament; Moses and Elijah, who are speaking to Jesus. This was a Holy Spirit event for these three understood and recognized two Old Testament persons for who they were. This did not mean they didn't lose their minds in trying to make sense of this as evidenced by Peter who knows only to say, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters -- one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Shelters, Peter? From what? For what? To allow these two giants of the faith to spend the night? The discussion didn't take long because Peter gets interrupted by a voice that comes from a bright cloud that is now covering them, and that voice says, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" This was what terrified the three and they fell facedown to the ground, not knowing what to do; for they had heard the voice of God, Who again declares Jesus to be His Son. Gulp. It was the touch of Jesus that they needed to get up again and continue their journey. It was the words of Jesus who tells them, "Don't be afraid." At that, the three were once again alone with Jesus. Wow
I don't know about you, but I would be bursting at the seams to tell this story to anyone who would listen to me. Yet, Jesus says, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." That would have been enough, "Yes, Lord, I will keep quiet, but I can't wait to tell others I have been with Jesus, I have seen Moses and I saw Elijah in the flesh!"
What have you seen? Whom have you told?
PRAYER: Lord, we stand humbled before You and what You can do. Let us truly be what You want us to be; let us show that we belong to You and are guided by You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a transfigured person for God.
Receive my blessings of joy and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
