via TJC
“ ‘But what about you?’ he [Jesus] asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ “ Luke 9:20a (NIV)
Here is the context: In all three of the accounts, Jesus’ dialogue with just His disciples is recorded shortly after the feeding of the four (or five) thousand. By that time the disciples had traveled with Jesus, hearing his teaching and seen Him heal many, forgive sins, drive out demons, walk on water, and even raise the dead.
Just prior (Luke 9:18) Jesus asked what others said about Him. They responded easily, with ideas and speculations.
But then He turned the tables and asked. “Who do you say I am?”. In the end, what others, or social media say, is irrelevant.
A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”.
Your perception of God shapes not just your view of the world, but also the trajectory of your life within this world.
And, our background/how we were brought up can color our own perception of God.
Personal Application: When writing this DBO the Lord challenged me (the author),“But what about you? Who do you say I am?”. I had to answer honestly, “He who must be obeyed”. The Lord said “Correct” and led me to Luke 15, which is often described as about the Prodigal Son. Personally, I try to live in integrity, whether small or big, all the time. Perhaps different from others, but I have trouble relating to the Prodigal Son because of his immense cruelty and mean-spiritedness (who said to his dad, “I wish you were dead. Give me my money now!”). I relate more with the older brother (who experienced the heartache caused by his younger brother) and later answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. …“ and his father did not disagree. Then his father proceeded to just love. The older brother, when with his father, needed to learn of his father’s character. We could describe this passage as the parable of The Loving Father.
This week as I have considered this passage and hung out with The Father, my perception has been transformed and I now (honestly) answer the challenge differently with, “Loving Father”.
Daily Battle Order:
When Jesus asks, “But what about you? Who do YOU say I am?“, pause to answer honestly and dig deeply. Consider this challenge over the next several days, and let it transform you.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”.
Come join TJC and learn more about Deep Change with other men at: https://www.joshuacommission.org/event-details/rescheduled-gettysburg-battlefield-operation-2023
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