Sometimes Jesus chose Peter, James, and John to go with him on special occasions. One of these times was when he took them up on a mountaintop. To their amazement, Jesus changed before their very eyes so that he nearly glowed. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and Jesus talked with them.

Peter was beside himself not knowing how to respond. He offered to make dwellings so they could all stay up on the mountain. God spoke to them on the mountaintop telling them that Jesus was his Son, and that they must listen to him.

Have you ever had an experience that was so wonderful that you simply wanted to stay there forever. I’ve been to many camps and retreats like that. But life always goes on. We must return to our homes and pick up where we left off. The key to the success of such an experience is in whether we put to use the things we learned on the mountaintop.

If your mountaintop experience was with Jesus, you have the best opportunity for taking your experience home with you. Jesus promises to go with you and live in your heart – if you will welcome him in. Make sure to give him plenty of room to grow as you feed your spirit daily with Bible reading and prayer.

Read about the wonderful experience Peter, James, and John had in the passage below.

Mark 9:2-13 (NLT)

The Transfiguration

2 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.

5 Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials[a]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.

7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”8 Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them.

9 As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man[b] had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by “rising from the dead.”

11 Then they asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?[c]”

12 Jesus responded, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the Scriptures predicted.”