April 30th, 25: Encountering Jesus, the Living Word, and Embracing True Transformation

Welcome, friends, to another episode of the Daily Radio Bible. It’s April 30th and we’ve reached day 121 in our journey through the Scriptures—a milestone marking the close of another month together in 2025. Today’s episode takes us through powerful passages in 2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 13, Psalm 68, and Matthew 17. Hunter, our host, invites us to pause from the rush of life and soak in God’s Word, letting it speak deeply into our hearts.

This episode delves into the dramatic story of moving the Ark of God, David’s uninhibited worship, and the consequences of disregarding God’s holiness. We reflect on the blessing that follows reverence and obedience, and the ways God’s presence transforms lives and communities. In the New Testament, we ascend the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James, and John for the Transfiguration—a breathtaking vision of God’s glory and the Father’s resounding call to “listen to Him.” Hunter shares moving insights on how Jesus is the final and living Word, the One who remains when all other voices fade away, and how God is drawing all humanity to Himself for true transformation.

We’ll close, as always, with prayer—asking God to make us instruments of His peace, to renew our minds and hearts, and to carry us forward in the strength of His joy. So grab your Bible, settle in, and join us as we listen, reflect, and pray together on today’s Daily Radio Bible.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

The pathway to real transformation is seen here on this mountain. This story is about far more than Jesus’ clothes being transformed, made dazzling white, whiter than snow. It’s about you and me. It’s about the world and all things being transformed. In this story, we are offered a vision and a voice.

The first thing we see is that Jesus—he's the final word. He’s the one we’re told to listen to over and above all else. Not Elijah. Not Moses. Not the writings. Not the Torah. Not Peter. Not me. Not you. Peter witnesses this amazing moment—there he is. Suddenly, Elijah and Moses are speaking with Jesus on the mountain, and Peter, out of fear or pride or probably both, shouts out, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you wish, I’ll make three tabernacles here. One for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” Peter thinks somehow he’s going to have some final say here. And so we hear him say those words: “I will make a tabernacle.” Other translations render it, “let us build.”

But “let us build” is not the final word. No. Those words are often born out of fear and pride, but they will never be the final word. Individuals and kingdoms and churches are always offering this as the final word—let us build. But fear, which makes us cower, and pride, which puffs us up, will all be subsumed in the end by God’s voice, by God himself, the living word.

And we see that here. Suddenly, a cloud envelops them, and a voice comes from the cloud. The voice they hear is the Father, saying: “This is my son that I love. Listen to him.” At the sound of his voice, they’re terrified. They fall face down to the ground. It’s at this point that Jesus comes and touches them, says, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.” When they look up, nobody is there but Jesus. Moses, Elijah, gone. Only Jesus remains. No more voices. No more conversations. Only Jesus. The one who is the final word.

He’s the one that remains, and he—the living word—will envelop all of our fearful pride. His voice will break through all things, and he will make all things new. So let’s hear the father’s voice on this mountain today. He’s pointing us to his son.

And not just on this mountain, but on a different mountain. This whole episode is pointing us to Calvary’s mountain. And not just Peter, James, and John are being drawn to Calvary’s mountain—no, he’s drawing all of humanity there to himself. When the Son of Man is lifted up, he will draw all humanity to himself, that he might transform all things—including you and me.

And the prayer of my own heart today is that I’ll hear the Father well. That I’ll see what Peter, James, and John saw. That Jesus is the final word. He is the living word. And through him, he’s making all things new. That’s a prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that’s a prayer that I have for you. May it be so.