The Unveiling!

SCRIPTURE. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

“Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 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.”

OBSERVATION

Paul is referring to the Jews of the Old Testament when Moses came down from Sinai after meeting with God. Moses was so filled with the glory of the Lord that people could not stand to look him in the face. So, Moses covered his face with a veil. To this very day the Jewish people read the Old Testament but do not understand what it truly means. This veil covers their mind and it can be removed only by them believing in Christ. Where the spirit is there is no veil, all things are uncovered.

APPLICATION

Paul shows that this spiritual revelation is followed by a spiritual transformation. With the veils gone, we can boldly look at Christ, who is the glory of God. We can now see him for who and what he is. This act of seeing and understanding the nature of Christ begins the process through which God transforms us into the image of Christ. “Where the spirit of their Lord is there is freedom’, freedom to know who Christ truly is and freedom show who we truly are in Christ.

Be blessed!

Finding Freedom

---

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 NLT

---

For a long time, I thought that forgiveness, healing, and true freedom only comes through the confessing of our sins to God. And if I did that, He would help guide me to the freedom and healing that I deeply desired… Now, does God want us to share with Him our hurts, habits, and hang-ups? Yes, Absolutely!

But it’s interesting that James says, in chapter 5, verse 16, that something else is required for us to experience true healing and freedom in our lives... And his answer is - EACH OTHER.

James emphasizes that we need to, not just go to God, but also confess our sins TO and pray FOR one another… Only then will we find true healing and freedom.

Now, the irony in this is that we live in a world that is obsessed with individualism and displaying only our strengths… Think about it... When we are asked to fill out a resume or we take job interviews, we are conditioned to only list, share, and display the best side of us. Even when we are asked things like, “what would you consider is a weakness?” We are trained to say things like, “Oh, I tend to get lose in the little details, because I give a lot of attention to details” Or “I tend to care too much and over work myself!” News flash! These are not us sharing our weaknesses.

And when we find ourselves having to face this challenge in our lives, our world encourages us to deal with it on our own… Which is why we say things like, “You do you… I got this! All I need is me, myself, and I! And if I get stuck, I’ll just pull myself up by my boot straps and do it myself”

But what James reminds us of today, is that we need each other. Not just in praying for one another, but in confession. Because that the bottom line is that there are somethings we will never learn about God apart from one another. And when we are vulnerable and confess our shame, doubt, fears, and pride to each other powerful things can happen. I love how Pope John Paul II said it, when he wrote,

“Confession is an act of honesty and courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”

St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

The truth is, WE CANNOT HEAL WHAT WE CHOOSE TO HIDE. If we want to find healing and freedom in Christ it requires us to be vulnerable with one another, and share deeply in the areas that we are still trying to trust God in… I love how pastor and author, Craig Groeschel, shares that “People are impressed with your strengths, but they are transformed by your vulnerability”

Lord, may we be a people that are not afraid of being vulnerable and sharing our hurts, habits, and hang-ups with one another under the grace that you so richly provide us. May we be able to come in to a place of genuine confession and prayer in Jesus name. Amen!

Mixed Plate

28 And we know that [q]God [r]causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

Being the primary cook at home, I enjoy throwing things together on the fly. It could be a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, chili flakes, oregano, while combining it with a sauce and heating the piece of meat over a frying pan making it taste great. Add starch and vegetables and an appealing mixed plate is formed. Now have you tried ingesting any of those ingredients by itself? Yes, it might not be a pleasant experience on your taste buds. Even too much of a sweet sauce can make us cringe.

When God works things out, He doesn’t just work each favorable event or ugly incident out in our lives. Sometimes we don’t get why God puts us in our circumstance, or why we have to face unwanted challenges in life. You see, God doesn’t just work it all out independently, He “causes all things to work together for the good.” Yes, TOGETHER! Just like each ingredient may not be individually tasteful unless mixed in with each other, in the same way, your life is not just made up of isolated incidents, but occurrences that are combined together to form the amazing result of your life.

God already knew you before your birth. And if you are a believer, you were predestined and called by Him. He will also justify your calling so that you would be exalted by His side. God manages the affairs of your life, from before the beginning, unto the end because you are called according to His purpose. Think about this - He doesn’t give up! He does not jump off the bandwagon or take a break from your life. He is busily and intricately working out your situation, where He takes the good, the bad, and lumps it altogether to make it the amazing end story we never could imagine. Please be encouraged that it’s not just in the one, but in the altogether that will produce the best “mixed plate” of life.