Unveiled Lives
Text: 2 Corinthians 3:18
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. (NRSV)
When we are completely open before God, with unveiled faces—unveiled lives, it is then that God begins his transforming work within us. What I mean by this is if we try and hide our true selves from God, we are only hiding that which needs to be transformed by God from ourselves. We are fooling ourselves; we are not fooling God.
When we hide or deny our true selves, we are not placing before God that which really needs to be changed in our lives. And by doing this, we put a stop to the work God desires to do in our lives because God will never force change upon us; we must come willingly and openly with unveiled lives.
When we stand in front of God with our lives unveiled, with the full truth of who we are, good and bad, on display before the Holy One, God begins to shape us into the image of his Son. We begin to move from one degree of glory to the next. It is the Holy Spirit working within us as we open ourselves to God.
The purpose behind this is for our benefit and for the benefit of the world. When we are shaped and molded by God, it is then that we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We receive love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5). And these things do not just benefit us, they benefit all those with whom we come in contact and they shine a light on the glory of God for others to see. It is then that we can live out the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and be a witness to our faith.
Pray with me:
God who makes beautiful things out of the dust of the earth, give me the courage to come before you with a life that has been fully unveiled. Fill me with the Holy Spirit that I might be transformed into the image of your Son, Jesus the Christ, from one degree of glory to another. AMEN.
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. (NRSV)
When we are completely open before God, with unveiled faces—unveiled lives, it is then that God begins his transforming work within us. What I mean by this is if we try and hide our true selves from God, we are only hiding that which needs to be transformed by God from ourselves. We are fooling ourselves; we are not fooling God.
When we hide or deny our true selves, we are not placing before God that which really needs to be changed in our lives. And by doing this, we put a stop to the work God desires to do in our lives because God will never force change upon us; we must come willingly and openly with unveiled lives.
When we stand in front of God with our lives unveiled, with the full truth of who we are, good and bad, on display before the Holy One, God begins to shape us into the image of his Son. We begin to move from one degree of glory to the next. It is the Holy Spirit working within us as we open ourselves to God.
The purpose behind this is for our benefit and for the benefit of the world. When we are shaped and molded by God, it is then that we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We receive love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5). And these things do not just benefit us, they benefit all those with whom we come in contact and they shine a light on the glory of God for others to see. It is then that we can live out the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and be a witness to our faith.
Pray with me:
God who makes beautiful things out of the dust of the earth, give me the courage to come before you with a life that has been fully unveiled. Fill me with the Holy Spirit that I might be transformed into the image of your Son, Jesus the Christ, from one degree of glory to another. AMEN.
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