Daily Prayer from the devotion at teens4jesus.org, FB, IG, X, Bluesky, Lordsbook, Pinterest, Discord, or Instagram. #TEENS4JESUS #dailyprayer #christianteens #Christianlife #christiangrowth

Mark 9:3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.  A few days back we talked about the Transfiguration and how Jesus shone brightly revealing His full divine power. Today’s verse is from the same event, describing additional detail about the transformation that took place before their eyes. Today’s verse describes the appearance of His clothing. Not only was He Himself transformed before their eyes, but His clothing also took on a different appearance. Why is this important? It may not be super important to our walk but it was an important enough detail that Mark included it in his account of the Transfiguration, indicating that it was of importance to his readers. The clothes became dazzling white. Other translations say it was blinding white (ESV). They were so white they were blinding to the eyes. We can say this symbolizes God’s moral and spiritual purity, His divinity fully glorified in every detail all the way down to the clothes He wore.  They were so white that no one in the world could bleach them any whiter. The radiance that emanated from His clothing was not something a person would be able to achieve themselves. No ancient launderer or bleacher could wash or manufacture a white brighter or purer than His garments. His divine quality was shining through from within, through body and clothing. So we ask ourselves, why is this important and what does it mean for our daily life? In that moment, He was transformed before the eyes of the three disciples He took with Him up the mountain. As we said a few days back, this even reassured the disciples that He truly was the promised Messiah, the majestic and holy Son of God. We look to this event and recognize that Jesus was not just a man who walked the earth and did good things. He came to earth as God in the flesh. He revealed His divinity on that mountain and His Father spoke from heaven to affirm Him as His Son (Mark 9:7). Let this be the anchor of your faith. Trust that He is divine, He is the Son of God sent to die for your sins, and He has a plan for your life.  And know that your own spiritual growth, your journey to living a Godly life cannot be forced by the rules of life or our own human effort. Jesus’s light radiated from within Him. It was not projected from the outside in but shone brightly inside to out. Our own spiritual transformation comes from within, too. The Holy Spirit is within us. Ask Him to work in your life, to transform your heart and who you are from the inside out. Then strive to reflect His light through your own actions each day.  Our lives should be a reflection of His. We are followers of Christ and are told to love others the way He loved us, to love them as we love ourselves. Our efforts should reflect His goodness and grace, as well as His purity. Live a life that is pure and holy, set apart and different from the world.  #TEENS4JESUS #devotion #dailydevotional #christianteens #DailyBibleVerse

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Daily Prayer from the devotion at teens4jesus.org, FB, IG, X, Bluesky, Lordsbook, Pinterest, Discord, or Instagram. #TEENS4JESUS #dailyprayer #christianteens #Christianlife #christiangrowth

1 Corinthians 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. Today’s verse may be familiar to you if you have studied the end times any. It is often used to explain what happens to us when Jesus returns. Take a few minutes to read the passage from which this verse is taken, including a few verses before AND after, to be sure you get a full understanding of the bigger picture.  In the Bible, anytime a writer speaks of a “mystery” it is in reference to a truth that was once hidden but has now been made known by God to His people. Paul used that same process here when he explained what would happen to us in the future. It was a mystery, but now it is revealed and everyone is able to know it. That is why he spoke of it in this letter to the church in Corinth. He wanted to encourage and inspire them with this once hidden knowledge.  He told them that all would not sleep. Sleep was a common metaphor used that indicated the physical death of someone. He was telling them that not every believer would die a physical death. Some would still be alive when the next part occurred. And what would happen? All would be changed. Transformed. Even though some had already died and others remained alive, ALL would be changed, transformed and given an eternal, imperishable body that was perfect and holy. In 1 Corinthians 15:52, the verse after today’s focus verse, Paul told them that every believer would be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. The change from the old earthly body to the new heavenly one would happen instantaneously, at the sound of the last trumpet. (This is often used to describe what happens when Jesus returns, often called the Rapture).  Can you imagine what it will be like? Our bodies now are flesh and bone, prone to aging, sickness, and breaking down. They are perishable. But this verse tells us that God will replace our imperfect, perishable bodies with an eternal, glorified body that is imperishable and immortal. We would have a perfect body just like Jesus does! This is an amazing promise and should serve as a reminder of the hope we have as believers. We may be aging, breaking down, falling apart in the current bodies, but we have a perfect, glorified, imperishable body just waiting to be given to us. And in an instant, we will be transformed. This truly does mean death is swallowed up in victory! (1 Corinthians 15:54) What are you looking forward to in your imperishable, perfect new body? #TEENS4JESUS #devotion #dailydevotional #christianteens #DailyBibleVerse

Daily Prayer from the devotion at teens4jesus.org, FB, IG, X, Bluesky, Lordsbook, Pinterest, Discord, or Instagram. #TEENS4JESUS #dailyprayer #christianteens #Christianlife #christiangrowth

Hebrews 7:12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.  As believers, we no longer live under the Law, though the Law is still applicable and we should still follow it. But we are no longer required to make sacrifices and are not forgiven temporarily. Christ died for us, being the final sacrifice needed to satisfy the requirements of the Law fully, redeeming us and bringing us back into fellowship with God.  That said, then what do verses like today’s mean to us, as followers of Christ and people who were not raised in the Hebrew faith? And how does it relate to our topic of transformation?  It is taken from the book of Hebrews, which was written to the people of Israel, to those who have been raised Hebrew but who have become followers of Christ. Is it applicable in our lives today? Yes, indeed! All Scripture is beneficial (2 Timothy 3:16) and all Scripture has a purpose, even if we fail to see it at the time. So today’s verse has its place in our lives, too.  To simplify the overall meaning, we see that Christ became our eternal High Priest, so when the priesthood changed, the law also had to be changed. It does not say it had to be done away with, only that it changed. The law was transformed, changed to a New Covenant. What does it mean that the priesthood changed? The old system of the priesthood was established early on, with Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his descendents being the ones who held the title of priest. These men came from the tribe of Levi, thus the name Levites. Only Levites were able to serve as priest. Yet, Jesus became our High Priest, in the order of Melchizedek (we won’t go into that today). Why is this important? Because the Levitical Law outlined who was eligible to be priests, and it was only the Levites. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, not from the tribe of Levi. He shouldn’t have been able to be a priest but He became our High Priest, in the highest order there is - the order of Melchizedek. The priesthood changed with Jesus. And here is why that is so important. In the old Mosaic Law, people had to go to a priest to be absolved of their sins and granted forgiveness. The priest interceded on their behalf, making their sacrifice to God. This was all outlined in the Law and was followed for thousands of years before Jesus. But with Jesus now being our High Priest, that access to God has changed. We no longer have to go to priests and have them seek God on our behalf. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the Temple that separated man from the presence of God was ripped from top down. We have direct access now through the blood of Jesus Christ, our eternal, ever reigning High Priest.  Because the priesthood changed (from only Levites to include Jesus, a Judahite), the Law also changed (access to God changed, sacrifices were no longer needed because Jesus paid it all).  We now live under a new covenant, one that is better than the temporary, earthly system once required for the forgiveness of sins. The old system of animal sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus, foreshadowing His final sacrifice. His death ushered in a New Covenant that replaced the old ceremonial law with a real and personal relationship built upon by grace.  Today we can thank God for redeeming us. We thank Him for the New Covenant, that we are no longer under the old Levital, Mosaic Law, but are saved by faith through grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).  #TEENS4JESUS #devotion #dailydevotional #christianteens #DailyBibleVerse

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