Matthew 17

"But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Matthew 17:12

At this point, Jesus has taken John, James, and Peter up to a mountain, where God spoke to them. They now had the revelation of who Jesus was and had experienced him like few had. After the experience, they began to ask about why Elijah, who had been prophesied about, hadn't come. Jesus' reply was verse 12. 

Why is this verse important? Everyone did not appreciate the value of John the Baptist (Elijah) or Jesus. Both were prophesied about extensively, did great works, walked holy...but were still hated on! James 1:2 tells us to count it all joy when (people back stab, spread lies, take your ideas, take advantage of you, make you do the entire group project) you face trials of many kinds. I love the quote that says "If you don't have any haters, you're doing something wrong." Be unapologetically you! You don't have to constantly prove yourself. God could make "a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'" (Matthew 17:5) I don't know of you, but I'll let God fight my battles. 

Happy Monday! 

*New Study Alert* The Gospel of Matthew

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11

How are we to know what is pleasing and displeasing to God without studying his word? We have to study the scriptures and seek Him. I thoroughly enjoyed the Proverbs study in December (reading a chapter a day) and received some great feedback from it. Since then, I've been praying about doing another study with a different book. So starting tomorrow, I'll be reading a chapter a day from the book of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew has been considered to be the most important of the 4 Gospels. I'm excited!

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word" Psalm 119:9

How To: Quiet Time

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

If we want God's word to lead us on a daily basis, we have to know what the Bible says. This is where quiet time comes in. This is a time where distractions are eliminated and quality time is spent with God. This time varies from person to person but I've included some ideas for you to use. I tend to do a combo of this list 1) listen to praise and worship music 2) prayer (for yourself and others) 3) reading the Bible 4) working through a devotional 5) listening to sermons 6) reading biblically based books 7) journaling. In all of those, the goal is to gain a deeper understanding of His word. God can speak to you when you're seeking Him. Can you hear from him if you're constantly surrounded by people, social media, cell phones, and TV? What does your quiet time consist of? Let me know if you have some suggestions to add to the list. Happy Thursday! 

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2