Continuous Transformation

-



Scripture

But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
(2 Corinthians 3:15 NASB)
but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
(2 Corinthians 3:16 NASB)
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
(2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB)
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
(2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB)

 

Observation

 

Moses was the one person who met with God face to face. The glory of God's presence was overwhelming and God's glory was reflected in Moses' face after the meeting. The reflection was so bright that the people couldn't stand to look at him and so they asked him to cover his face with a veil. This he did and the veil remained, both physically and figuratively. The people feared that closeness to God. They didn't want to see God's glory in Moses' face, and nor did they want God's glory to be revealed in the word. Instead, they wanted it all covered up -- because that made it more palatable to them. But with the coming of the Holy Spirit everything is changed. When a person turns toward God, through the power of the Holy Spirit the veil is stripped away and the Spirit draws that person toward God, giving them freedom and liberty -- the kind that comes from participating in God through the Spirit. The veil is removed and we want to look on the face of God. We don't see the face of God directly, but we see the incarnation of God, in the form of Jesus Christ -- he is the "image" of God. We are the mirrors who are to reflect the image -- and as we draw closer to him we are ever transformed moment by moment and from glory to glory as we participate through the Spirit in God, who is infinite!

 

Application

 

The journey with God is one of continuous transformation. Gregory of Nyssa once said that if we are not moving forward, we are sinning. The entire journey is one in which we are drawn closer to God and he is continually transforming us along the way. There are moments along the journey where significant changes are made in the Christian life. The image in all of us has been lost as a result of sin. That image of Christ which was to be in us -- it is lost. It is lost because we have turned around and gone our own way. There is no way we can be a reflection of Christ if we are not facing him! At the same time, God is in his grace never, ever, turns his back on us. He is always reaching out to us and calling us back to him.

When we do respond to him -- and we turn around -- we begin to walk in his direction again. The image is restored, but may be a little dusty and dirty from the journey. There is a moment in which the image is cleaned up, the corruptions removed -- the mirror is scrubbed up by the power of the Holy Spirit -- making it possible for a pure reflection of the image. However, we must understand that this is only part of the journey. Even when the mirror is clean, the reflection depends on the proximity to the original. Therefore we are invited into this journey "from glory to glory" as we climb ever higher in our journey toward Christ.

Paul was never satisfied that he had "made it" but instead, constantly kept his face turned toward the goal, which was Christ himself. This too must be the goal for our lives. To never stop climbing. To never stop seeking to grow. To never stop being transformed. To daily seek the glory of the Lord and his holy presence in our lives.

 

Prayer

 

Lord, thank you for your glory which draws us onward and upward. May we be faithful and obedient! Amen.

Comments

  1. GlendaApril 3, 2012 at 4:45 PM

    "There is no way we can be a reflection of Christ if we are not facing him" . . . keeps it real and simple to understand. It's a quote I will remember!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more