But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the
glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like
him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)
In ancient
times and even in some cultures today when a couple goes through the marriage
ceremony the bride is heavily veiled, so much so that that the groom can’t
clearly see his brides face until the veil is removed. The groom assumes it is
his beloved, he hopes it is his new wife to be, but until the veil is removed
his guess is as good as the person seated in the back row of the church. This
partly explains why Jacob ended up marrying Leah and not Rachel. (See Genesis 29:21-35) We can carry this concept
into our spiritually lives as well. Our veils can be our old ideals, old habits
and hurts, old religious experiences and of course old sin that we allow to
hang around. These veils prevent us from
allowing others to see the light of Christ shining in and through us. We deny
them the opportunity to see the glory of the Lord. As I was meditating on this
passage last week the idea of how my sin inhibits me from reflecting God’s
glory. I looked at the results of my
prayers for others, the way I deal with people and was there any positive
spiritual influence or His power through my life. My sin quenches the Holy
Spirit from shining in me and from being filled and overflowing with His
presences. It also quenches Him from
moving through me into the lives of other people.
One of the
things that Moses did after his encounter with God on the mountain was to veil
his face because the glory of God was so magnificent that the people of God
could not look upon his face. After a while that glorious glow diminished and
yet Moses continued to wear his veil. We do that same thing today. We have a
great spiritual encounter with the Lord resulting in a “glowing”. Once we
re-enter into the daily grind and challenges of life, that “glow” tends to fade
and yet we continue to live as if we are filled and as bright as we were
before. I have heard a saying, “if you
are saved from your sins, filled with God’s Holy Spirit, have access to and
experience of God’s abundant life culminating to an eternity in Heaven…then
please tell your face!”
A great test
to determine whether or not your life is hidden behind a veil is to look at the
Spirit’s fruit in your life. Ask your spouse and those who you share life with:
Do you see the Holy Spirit producing
this kind of fruit in your life: love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. (See Galatians 5:22-23) Notice the question isn’t have I been
a “good Christian” or “good friend” but is there Holy Spirit power manifesting
in and through my life? What are some examples of His fruit? Does your life
look more and more light Jesus’ or does it look like everybody else only you
possess the title of Christian? If you answer “no” and or your can’t find His
fruit amongst the many branches and leaves of your life then start by asking
the Lord to search your heart for sin. (Read
and pray Psalm 139:23,24).
I write this
not to place a heavy burden on your shoulders but to encourage you to go
beneath the veneer, to move outside the spiritual box you may have created for
God and live a lie that shines so brightly that others will see Jesus in and
through you. This is more of a confession of my life. I look in the mirror and
see more of the world’s residue then I do Jesus. I see more of my “works
righteousness” than I do His fruit. As a leader, I can’t continue to live this
way and neither can you. Look at the lazy areas in your life. You know the
ones; those areas that you claim to have under His Lordship but in reality are
kept on your life’s mantel or prominent shelf. Meaning they are there for all
to see but they are collecting dust, getting tarnished and lack the luster they
once had. Prayer life? Word life? Physical life? Academic (learning) life?
Relational life: Reconciling relationships or repelling them? Selfless service?
Making disciples? Sharing your faith? Worshipping with your life or just your
lips? Those are just to name a few!
I close with this verse, For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this
light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the
face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT)
May your face
and life reflect the glory of the Lord!
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