Listen

We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.

2 Peter 1:16-18

Think

Why do we believe what we do about God? Jesus lived over two thousand years ago. How do we know what really happened? Can we trust the stories? The letter of 2 Peter was written to people who were asking these same questions.

The author of 2 Peter answers these questions with a resounding “yes!” We can trust the stories. These stories aren’t just made-up legends, tall tales, or crafty myths. They aren’t lies meant to manipulate and mislead. The stories about Jesus in the Bible are reliable testimonies passed down through generations of faithful witnesses, and they’re all backed by the authority of the holy God who speaks through these testimonies.

Trusting these stories involves faith. The stories leave out lots of details we might wish they’d include! But the story-testimonies in the Bible make the main ideas clear. Jesus is Lord, the holy and glorious one who was, is, and will be present with us — helping us pass on our own stories to encourage new generations.

Rebecca Poe Hays

Pray

Holy and glorious God, sometimes it’s hard to know what to believe and who to trust.

Thank you for the stories that you send to encourage.

Help me to see how my story might encourage others.

Amen.

Go

Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words.

1 Peter 1:7b-8