SCRIPTURE:
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them." (Mark 9:2, NIV)

Observations:
I asked myself what were the actions of Jesus in v.2?
1. After six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him.
2. Jesus led them up a high mountain.
3. Jesus led them up to a place where they were all alone.

Interpretations:
I asked myself what is the significance of Jesus' actions?
Jesus could have taken his entire disciples but specifically chose 3 disciples to lead them up a high mountain because I believe within the 12 disciples, Jesus formed a core team of 3 disciples whom He would share a lot of things alone that were not available to the other disciples at hand. Those 3 disciples would always be Peter, James, and John. I also believe Jesus would use those disciples to help the other disciples learn things. To me Jesus was emphasizing the importance of a core team.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life as I looked at this verse. Jesus has a right to choose whoever He wants and whenever He wants to reveal what He wants to reveal. Whomever Jesus chooses, Jesus chooses them for His reasons. So, if Jesus chooses me for something, even when I feel I am not the right person for the job, I should depend on the Lord and let Him use me for His honor and glory realizing He is in control and knows what is best for me.  The choice that Jesus makes is not for me to question. Lord help me!

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING C.H.O.O.S.E:
I am so thankful to the Lord that Jesus decided to choose me to use me to run the http://www.pittsburghstandard.com for His honor and glory. But this would not have even been possible if Jesus did not choose to save me by His loving grace. It is His grace that gave me a new beginning and new birth when Jesus became my Lord and my Personal Savior. When Jesus died on the cross shedding His precious blood, I came to realize that Jesus did that for me so I do not have to continue to be in bondage to sin and death but receive the Eternal Life, Jesus has to offer.  This Eternal Life is offered through the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God, who ransomed me with His precious blood. Now when God looks at me, He does not see what a sinner I am but He sees me covered in Christ's righteousness because of the blood covering of the sinless Lamb of God who came to take away my sin. I am so thankful Jesus chose me and I want to use my life for His honor and glory. Help me Jesus. Just as the 3 disciples went with Jesus when Jesus chose them instead of staying behind, I want to go with Jesus where He leads me instead of doing my own things. I need the help of the Lord. You too can go with Jesus because He loves you so much that when He died on the cross and came back to life to save, it is because He does not want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance and have abundant life.

I ask you now dear friend, who decided to choose you in life?
Dear friend, there are a lot of people who decided to choose you in life. When you were given birth, your mommy decided to have you. When you are accepted in college, the University decided to choose you. When you are on a sports team, that team decided to choose you. When you have friends, they decided to choose you. In some things, you don't have a choice and in other things even when others decide to choose you, you have a choice to accept or reject.

But more than anything, I believe Jesus loves you so much that He decided to choose you to become His very own. Jesus wants you to be part of His Kingdom because God desires that none should perish but all to come into repentance. This means you are accepted by the Lord no matter what you have done or where you have been when you accept God's free gift of grace in Christ Jesus. This gift is given for you to open and receive. It is a gift paid by Blood of the Savior who shed it for your Salvation and mine showing you and me how much He loves us and how far He would go to save us. I don't know about you but that brings me excitement and joy to know that the Lord of the Universe decided to choose me to become His very own. Jesus will not disappoint me in life but I can always turn to Jesus talking to Him and being led by Him. Just as Jesus led the 3 disciples to a high mountain to be alone, Jesus will also lead you and me in our daily walk to be alone with Him to teach us, lead us, and guide us. It is all because of His love for us to choose us.

Yet, Jesus will not force Himself on any of us. If Jesus wanted followers to come to Him, Jesus could have easily come of the cross if He chose to but did not. Jesus did not want to make believers or followers out of fear but out of love.  With every choosing also comes a cost. Jesus' cost was the heaviest with excruciating pain and suffering for your sake and mine at the cross of Calvary.

How will you and I react to that cost?

Will we ignore it or will we choose to act?

The best response would be to choose to act and have Jesus become the Lord and Savior of our lives and let Him govern our daily living as we are in constant fellowship with Him because Christ happily offers our souls Eternity!

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

May you come to realize the love Jesus has for you because Christ happily offers our souls Eternity!

"Christ Happily Offers Our Souls Eternity!" (C.H.O.O.S.E)/"Who decided to C.H.O.O.S.E you in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for choosing me to be Your very own. I am precious and special in Your sight and am called by Name. Help me to live for you and always be in constant fellowship with you because in You alone is joy. Thank you for the opportunities you give to serve and help us use those opportunities for Your honor and glory. Thank you so much Jesus! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. "The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us." I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!