Listen To Him

One day Jsus took Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain, where he was transfigured before them and entered into a conversation with two long-dead biblical characters, Moses and Elijah.  Peter was so dumbfounded that all he could think to say was, "it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for you, one for Elijah and one for Moses?" (Mk 9:6).

No sooner had the words came out of his mount, a voice for heaven came out of the cloud saying, "Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (V. 7).  Jesus is not one of many or one of very few, Jesus is The One.  He is "the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). 

We are tempted to put Jesus along side our families or our jobs when making decisions.  We tend to weigh out what our family will think, what our boss might say and what would. Jesus do as if they all carried equal weight, but they do not.  Only one has any bearing on what is right: Jesus Christ.

To be sure, how we are to treat our family and how we are to regard our employer are both things upon which Jesus puts a premium.  We are to love and take care of our families.  We are to respect and work hard for our employers.  These are things our Lord requires of us (see 1 Tim 5:8 and Gal 3:23).  However,  it is our love for the Lord that ought to determine what we do and when.

What I am getting at is that our devotion to the Lord must be supreme: "This is the first and greatest commandment" (Matt 22:38).  We must not decide what we will do for the Lord depending on what our family or what our employer decides is best.  Rather we should regard and respond to them based on what Christ says is best.

When we put the Lord first, seeking his righteousness, our family needs and our job demands will be in their proper place and God will provide what is good and best (note Matt 6:33).  It is not Jesus along side our family and employment or whatever else, it is Jesus alone.  And, in following him out of singular devotion results in his "working out all things [even family needs and job demands] for the good of them that love Him" (Rom 8:28).  Jus' Say'n.