Brush with Fame

Have you had an opportunity to recognize who someone is and fail to do so? Have you had a brush with someone famous? Have you driven past someone you know and not recognized them? Have you interacted with someone and not known who they were until long after?

There are times when we brush against someone famous. There may be times when we speak with someone famous but not know it. We may have a once in a lifetime opportunity to interact one on one with a famous person. For whatever reason, we don’t take it.

My wife and I were walking through the airport in St. Louis after getting our baggage late one night. As we were walking to catch the bus to the parking lot to get our vehicle, my wife poked me and asked if I saw him. I asked, “who?” She said, “David Freese.” For those that don’t know, David Freese was the hero for the Cardinals in the 2011 post season. This was a few years later when he was playing for the Pirates. Being from St. Louis, and the Pirates having an off day before playing the Cardinals, he came to town a day early. No, we didn’t go talk to him.

The people of the first century missed seeing the new Elijah or didn’t properly identify him. John the Baptist was identified as the Elijah that would come before the Messiah by Jesus. The disciples saw him. In fact, a couple of them had followed him. And yet, they didn’t realize who he was. Too often we see what we want to see…and nothing more.

I pray we all are observant of the people around us. I pray we recognize when we brush with someone of great faith. I pray each one of us will be better because we learn from them. Be observant. Open your eyes. See people of great faith. Learn from them. Be better for it.

Matthew 17:11-12 He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.”

Unbelievable Encounter

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen? How did what you saw compare to outlandish scenes put into movies? Did you think it was unbelievable? Did you think it was supernatural? Have you noticed the supernatural and perhaps hard to believe events in the Bible?

Extraordinary things happen. We may see them. We may hear about them. And yet we may find them very hard to believe. We may want to explain them away as a random event. All the while, our brains our telling us we saw it and yet do not know how to process it.

That may have been the initial thought of Peter, James, and John when they went up on the mountain with Jesus. Not only do they see Jesus transfigured and start glowing like a light bulb, but suddenly Moses and Elijah appear out of thin air. They must have been jolted as if they had been struck by lightning. Of course, one question that always pops to mind when I read this passage is: how did they know it was Moses and Elijah? After all, it’s not like they had photographs of them to reference.

So, why is this important and how do we use in our lives today? We could easily dismiss it as something nice to know but has no effect on our faith. But that would be dismissing something important. This encounter demonstrates the power of God, and thereby the power of Jesus. If we are to believe that God is all-powerful, that he can do anything, this is an example of that power. Jesus can be transfigured into a blinding light and God can summon the dead to interact with the living. Yes, the story is bizarre and outlandish. Yet it supports our faith in a God that is not constrained by earthly rules.

I pray we all know that God is not constrained by earthly rules. I pray we know that God is all-powerful. I pray each one of us allow the transfiguration encounter to support our faith. God is not constrained. God is all-powerful. Increase your faith. Be in awe of the transfiguration.

Matthew 17:1-3 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Prophet and Prophecy

What comes to mind when you hear the word prophecy? Do you immediately think of foretelling the future? Do you think of prophets from the Old Testament? Have you considered there are New Testament prophets? Have you considered there may be prophets today?

If we are regular readers of God’s Word, we likely have some definition in our minds for prophecy and who a prophet is. Unfortunately, our definition may not be complete. A prophet is someone who receives a message from God and speaks that message to others.

Prophecy is the message given by God through the prophet. The message may include admonition, correction, direction, and foretelling the future. We often think of prophecy as solely foretelling the future. We see many references in the New Testament to prophecy in the Old Testament foretelling the coming of the Messiah.

The definition in the basic sense indicates to us that the entire Bible is prophecy, the inspired Word of God. However, we narrow it a bit to those passages that specifically provide God’s guidance and foretelling of events to come. Yet, by the generic definition, those who preach God’s Word today can be considered prophets, since they are generally inspired by God to share a message from his Word with the congregation.

Jesus was considered a prophet by many who heard Him, and rightfully so. Yet, He is much more than a prophet. The key to being a prophet and sharing prophecy is being inspired by God. The message cannot be human generated, but God inspired. The Holy Spirit is at work in the individual. This means the person is listening for and repeating the message the Holy Spirit is relaying to them.

I pray we all understand what it means to be a prophet. I pray we know that prophecy is the inspired Word of God. I pray each one of us identify those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and relaying God’s message. Identify a prophet. Identify prophecy. Listen for the Holy Spirit to speak through others.

2 Peter 1:20-21 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Faith and Mystery

There are many things in this world we cannot explain. They come in all forms and are dependent upon our experience and knowledge. For example, most of us do not have a deep understanding of how a computer works. We do not know that every letter on the screen is a series of eight electrical impulses that are either turned on or turned off. We cannot explain how those electrical impulses are interpreted to be displayed so we can read them.

There are also mysteries of God. Science continues to strive to explain them. We continue to seek a better understanding, diving deeper into the mystery. There are also eyewitnesses to some of those mysteries who we fail to believe or at least are skeptical of. What they describe just doesn’t seem to be possible from our human point of view.

The Apostle Peter is such a witness and recounts an improbable, if not unbelievable, story. He first states that what he is writing about is not a myth. I’m sure he was referring to those Greek myths about false gods that were prevalent in the first century and continue to this day. No, he was speaking as an eyewitness to the event. He was with Jesus on the mountain when God made the statement about Him. He saw the appearance of Moses and Elijah.

What Peter is relating to his audience and to us is a mystery of God. It was an amazing revelation to him and continues to be amazing for us. We cannot explain it with science. We do not see it as an everyday normal experience. It isn’t normal by human standards. Because we cannot explain it, we call it a mystery and may struggle to believe it.

The transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain in front of Peter, James, and John reminds us of Moses’ face glowing after being in the presence of God. Moses and Elijah appearing may cause us to think of ghosts. But neither Moses nor Elijah was a ghost. They appeared to Jesus and had a conversation, though we do not know what was said. We do know that God the Father spoke so the apostles could hear and glorified his Son.

We have a choice to make. We can believe the eyewitness or not. We can believe God does mysterious things and acts in mysterious ways or cast it aside as foolishness. It is our faith that will cause us to believe the mystery. It is our faith that will allow us to stop trying to explain the mystery and accept it for what it is. It is our faith in God that will please him.

2 Peter 1:16-18 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 had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

Vainly Conspiring

Do you sometimes think it is all pointless? Do you wonder why we, as humans, continue our petty contrivances? Do you wonder when we will realize we are plotting in vain? Have you decided to stop conspiring? Have you decided to give up your vanity?

We see the pointless plotting and conspiring going on in the world. Nation plotting against nation. One organization striving to undermine another. Individuals taking advantage of others. All of it is inspired by the continual seeking to win and the desire to gain more power.

God speaks through the Psalmist and asks the simple question of why. Not only are we striving against one another, but we are striving against God. He knows that he will put an end to our endless pursuit of money and power. There will come a day when God eliminate the evil this world forever. He will destroy earthly powers and institute his reign for eternity.

We often allow our desire to gain wealth, privilege, and power to be our motivation. When we fail to achieve our goals, we become depressed, angry, and perhaps desperate. We are so focused on the moment that we fail to see the big picture. God has already seen it all. He knows the final outcome. He is working all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

This does not mean we should not do our very best. We should do everything as though we were working for God (Colossians 3:23). For when we are working for him, we are rewarded by him. Some of those rewards will come in this life, but the greatest reward will come in eternity. God has promised and he fulfills his promises.

I pray we all give up our vain pursuits. I pray we stop conspiring against one another. I pray each one of us choose to do everything for God, seeking to please him in all that we do. Give up your vanity. Cease conspiring. Seek to work together. Keep your focus on God. Seek his guidance.

Psalm 2:1

Why do the nations conspire 

and the peoples plot in vain?

Listen for God

How often do you listen for God to speak to you? Are you listening every day? Are you listening in the midst of troubles? Are you listening when things are going well? Have you chosen to obey God’s commandments? Have you written God’s instruction?

Listening for God to speak is a learned behavior. To learn to listen requires us to practice it regularly. The more we practice it, the better we listen. Listening is an important trait. For God will speak to us far more than we think. He desires to speak to us and for us to listen.

Moses was listening when God told him to go up on the mountain to receive God’s written instructions. We call them the ten commandments. We may have memorized them. Yet there are many more commandments God gave the Israelites after those initial written commandments. There are numerous times God gave instructions to the prophets throughout the Old Testament.

Too often, we read about those instances or hear them mentioned and think we are not of the same importance as those prophets. We often think we are not important enough for God to take notice of us. That line of thinking is often why we pray with a wishful mind rather than a confident mind. It’s not that we don’t believe God can do anything, we believe we are not important enough for him to answer us.

When we decide to listen for God to speak, we will hear him. When we trust him to answer our prayers, we will see him act more than we have before. In the end, it is all about our relationship with God. The closer we get to him, the more we trust him, and the more we will hear him speaking to us. The examples of God speaking to the Old Testament prophets is a reminder that he will speak to us, too.

I pray we all choose to listen for God. I pray we trust he will both speak to us and answer our prayers. I pray each of us seek to build our relationship with God and grow closer to him. Listen for God. God will speak to you. God will answer your prayers. Build your relationship with God. Grow closer to God.

Exodus 24:12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there; I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”

Something New

How many things can you think of that people do on Sunday rather than go to church? Do you think it is wrong for people to work on Sunday while going out to eat after worship? Do you believe it is wrong for people to watch worship online?

We can quickly point out many things we think are wrong to do on a Sunday. Maybe it is missing a worship service to go to a NASCAR race. Maybe it is businesses being open on Sunday’s. Maybe it is people choosing not to come to church but watch online.

The leader of the synagogue thought it was wrong for people to come so Jesus would heal them on the Sabbath. He, legalistically, thought the only reason to come to the synagogue was to worship in the traditional style. It never crossed his mind that people could worship Jesus because He healed them on that day.

We can easily get caught in the mindset of “it’s always been done that way,” whether by tradition, habit, or teaching. Not being willing to hear something new is just one of the reasons Jesus was rejected. Many were unwilling to believe God could do something he had never done before when it came to worship.

Before we get carried away, we must first recognize it is good that we attend weekly worship services. When we come with an attitude to worship from deep within our heart, we are renewed. We need that renewal in our lives. We need to know Jesus is with us.

I pray we all open our minds to new things God is doing. I pray we realize that God is relevant in all settings. I pray each one of us choose to worship from the depths of our heart. Open your mind. See God doing new things. God is always relevant. Worship God with all your heart.


Luke 13:15-16: But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

Forever Legacy

Do you want to be remembered forever? Are you seeking to make a lasting impression? Are you building a legacy with hopes of it lasting? How are you going about it? Are you building it on the sands of humanity? Or are you building it on the eternal foundation of God?

We see stories regularly about someone who has built a legacy in one place or another. It may be a coach who built a strong program and stayed at the school for many years. It may be someone who stayed with the same company for decades, moving up the ladder, and being a significant impact.

We can spend our time building a legacy in this life that others honor with accolades that will fade once we are gone. Oh, we will be remembered for a few years, but eventually our accomplishments will no longer be remembered. Technology continues to improve. Bigger accomplishments happen. Our fleeting moments in the spotlight are forgotten.

However, there is one thing we can do that will be remembered forever. We can commit ourselves to God. When we fully commit ourselves to him, not half-heartedly, we will be remembered forever. Our impact will continue long after we have left this world. Why? We have a positive impact on others. We teach others about God in our actions, behavior, and attitude. Others commit to God because of our influence. Not only that, but God also remembers how we stood firm in our faith forever.

If we want a legacy that lasts and we want to stand on a firm foundation, we must commit ourselves to God. When we do, we can be confident in following his guidance and stand out in the crowd. It is not something to be boastful about, other than boasting in God. That impact we have will spread out like a spider’s web.

I pray we all seek to build our legacy in God. I pray we commit ourselves fully to him. I pray each one of us will stand on the firm foundation of God and positively impact others for God. Build your legacy. Commit to God. Boast only in God. Stand on his firm foundation. Have a positive impact.

Psalm 112:6-7

For the righteous will never be moved; 

they will be remembered forever. 

They are not afraid of evil tidings; 

their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

Learn from the Spirit

Do you lack the ability to make proper judgments? Do you see others failing to make proper judgments? Have you conversed with people who fail to understand what the things of God? Do you wonder how they cannot understand? Would you like to know?

There are times when we understand something and wonder how others cannot understand it. It may seem so simple to us, and yet others cannot grasp it. When it is something we have been trained in, we might better understand why they cannot. Sometimes it comes down to experience.

Something I often hear is, “I can read the Bible, but I can’t understand it.” If the person is a Christian, I always tell them they can. The issue is not whether we are smart enough to understand it. It isn’t whether we are Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic scholars. It isn’t a matter of us spending an inordinate amount of time studying. It boils down to two things. First, we must be willing to learn. Second, we must ask God to reveal it through his Holy Spirt.

Let’s have no misunderstanding. Not all of us are ordained by God to obtain a deep and comprehensive understanding of God. Yet, we all can learn enough to apply God’s Word in our lives. Leaning on the Holy Spirit to teach is initially challenging and may feel fruitless. But as we continue to ask God to reveal what we need to know through his Holy Spirit, the easier it becomes and the more natural it feels.

Gaining understanding is not something we are to boast about. After all, it isn’t us who are doing the work, it is the Holy Spirit. It is something we can take comfort in, and we can share what we learn with others. It better equips us to answer questions and convince others they need Jesus in their lives. This is how Jesus used ordinary men to start His church and spread the gospel in the first century.

I pray we all ask God to reveal his Word to us. I pray we are open to listening and learning from the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us use what we learn to share the gospel with others. Ask God to reveal his Word. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Learn from the Holy Spirit. Share the gospel with others.

1 Corinthians 2:14-15 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

Seek To Know God

How well do you know yourself? How well do you know your spouse? How well do you know your parents? How well do you know your children? How well do you know your friends? How well do you know your co-workers? How well do you know God?

Knowing ourselves can be challenging. We can deceive ourselves. We can want to be a certain type of person so bad that we can convince ourselves that is who we are. But if we take the time to dig deep, look deep inside, we can see who we really are.

When it comes to knowing someone else, it is even more challenging than knowing ourselves. For everyone, including ourselves, portray an image of who we want to be or who we think others want us to be. No matter how honest we are, we never reveal everything we think nor everything about ourselves. There is always something hidden deep down inside.

The Apostle Paul uses this truth about us to reveal a truth about God. Though God has revealed much about himself, his plan, and how he has worked in the world, we cannot know everything about him. First, just as we cannot know everything about someone else, we cannot not fully know God. Second, because God is Spirit, only the Spirit can fully know God. This does not mean we should stop seeking to know God better any less than we seek to know our spouse better. In fact, we should seek to know God more than we seek to know any other person.

I pray we all seek to know God better. I pray we understand we cannot fully know God. I pray each one of us will continue to build our relationship with God, growing closer to him each day. Seek to know God better. Continue to build your relationship with him. Ask God to reveal himself to you.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God.