More Jesus Please!
"Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light."- Matthew 17:1-2
It seems like in life that we are always needing "MORE". We often desire for our needs, hopes, and dreams to be delivered to us in such a stress-free and all-access mode, that we want the classic Disney song, "When You Wish Upon a Star," to be our reality. We wish there was more money in our bank account; we wish there was more time to get a project completed; we wish there was more days to add to our vacation; we wish we had more friends to enjoy life with. When it comes to needing and having more, one thing is certain above the rest, I need more of Jesus!
Our lives are consumed, changed, and super-charged when we encounter Jesus! In looking at the above Scripture we have an account where three of Jesus' followers join Him for a miracle moment on a mountain. What I want to take away from this event is how these men were so engulfed and fixed on the glory of the Savior, that nothing was missed from their experience. They captured the fullness of Jesus' appearance (brilliant countenance and clothing), they recognized who else was with Him (Moses and Elijah), and they heard God speaks such a clear command ("This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!"). In other words, being with Jesus had their complete attention and was all that mattered at that very moment.
The great news for us is that the presence of the Lord is always available to us and produces results that are far greater any other source we look to for our lives. In His presence is the place that His light, love, and truth informs us, covers us, and empowers us. As David wrote in Psalm 16:11, "You make known to me the path of life; You will fill Me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." With this being both a present and potent reality, far greater than any fairy-tale tune, we need to be sure that we find ourselves fully in this precious place. I know that from personal experience that it is easy to be "IN" a place, but not be totally present. There have been meetings and events I have attended, but everything in me wanted to be somewhere else or get out of there as soon as possible. There have been times in talking with Joanie that my attention is diverted and I am no longer "In" the conversation we are having, much to her dismay. What I am trying to say is that we can be in a room, in a meeting, and in a conversation and totally miss what is taking place around us.
The key is to learn what it means to not just be "In" the Lord's presence, but "WITH" Him. That I find myself walking with Him, talking to Him, enjoying Him, learning from Him, receiving from Him, and being fulfilled through Him. There are many scriptures in the Bible that speak to our living in this type of power mode of faith, love, and life. Here are a few to refresh, focus, and inspire us:
John 15:5- "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."
I Corinthians 6:17- "But whoever is united with the Lord is one with Him in spirit."
Philippians 4:13- "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
Colossians 1:27- "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Psalm 18:29- "With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall."
Rather than getting lost in daydreaming about a better place or being lost in the maze of life's distractions and burdens, let's find ourselves lost in God's presence in such a way that His glory becomes the only thing that matters and the only thing that will make a difference. Let's move from a "wishing" life to a "With" life in God.