Dec 15

With the terrifying events that Revelation and other Scriptures say will happen towards the end, it is natural to be afraid. But the believer in Christ does not live solely by natural means but by supernatural sources from God. Therefore, when the catastrophic events of earth's final days come, and the world is in a panic, filled with fear and retreating to the caves in the mountains to try to escape, the child of God remains wherever God directs, ready to minister to a world in hiding. Such a child of God can say with the psalmist:

"In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: 'Flee like a bird to your mountain?'" (Psalm 11:1).

There is no natural mountain that can protect fragile human flesh in the last moments. Only the supernatural mountain who is Jesus Christ is able to save those who run to him for refuge. He is Mt. Zion, the mountain of God, the one God has chosen above all the other mountains of the world.

The world's religions have lifted up this person or that as the one through whom the world must come to know God. But God pays no attention to the claims of men. He simply chooses his own mountain as the highest. It may literally be the lowest hill around, as small as an unknown baby in Bethlehem, but when God chooses it, it is raised to become the highest of the mountains -- not as high, perhaps as other mountains in the world's eyes, because the world can see only with its eyes. But it is highest simply because God has chosen it.

When Jesus took his closest disciples with him up on a certain mountain, there was nothing in the mountain itself to set it apart from all the others that he could have chosen. But because it was Jesus, the Son of God, who chose it, it automatically became the highest of mountains -- because the presence of God made it so. There on that mountain, Jesus was transfigured--and so was the mountain.

Scripture for today: Prov. 28:1; Matthew 17:1-9
Thought for today: Jesus transforms my mountain of trial into a place of his glory.
Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, forgive me when I have paid more attention to the mountain confronting me than to you who can transform that mountain into a place where your glory is revealed in my life.

DEC 15