“This is my beloved son
with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Polarization in politics today in the United States is to a
degree maintained and even intensified by the media. Left leaning Americans
listen to liberal media outlets and right leaning Americans listen to
conservative outlets. People hear what they want to hear and their views are
reinforced.
Who do you listen to? Who shapes your view of reality? No, I
am not talking about your political views, but your spiritual. The battle for
the hearts and minds of people in the spiritual arena is even more intense than
the battle in the political arena. And more is at stake than the economy,
health care, and even world peace. The battle raging in the spiritual realm is
for our very souls.
On one side we have the deceiver. His message is one that
exalts the self, that appeals to our passions, and that distorts the truth. He
comes as an angel of light with arguments that sound so plausible, even
religious. His message promises the world, but in the end only delivers death.
On the other side we have the One, Christ Jesus who is the
truth. His message is one of humility and of dying to oneself. It is one of
grace and forgiveness, peace and wholeness. It always delivers life.
Chapter 17 of the book of Matthew recounts the
transfiguration. Peter, James, and John went with Jesus to a mountain top and
there they saw Jesus in a glorified state talking with Moses and Elijah. If His
miracles hadn’t convinced these disciples that Jesus was the Son of God, surely
they were convinced now. The Father then spoke from heaven confirming that
Jesus was indeed His beloved Son. And the Father’s message to Peter, James, and
John, as well as to us, was very simple. Tune out all the other voices, quiet
yourself, and “Listen to Him”.
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