Unveiled Faces

We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:13-18


My heart beats a little faster when I think about "unveiled faces [reflecting] the Lord's glory." I mean, it's staggering on the one hand that God condescends to allow us the privilege of radiating His glory, and on the other hand, it's a joy-producing, holy, and motivating reality.

There are people in my life with whom I can have little or no direct influence for Christ, due to distance or other factors. My heart aches for them, cries out to God for them, feels helpless to help them. But God has directed my prayers to sound something like this these days: "God, please raise up some of Your people befriend X. Bring to X a person who loves Jesus enough to recognize X's need for redemption. Let this Christ-follower be bold, loving, and obedient, living and speaking the gospel to X. Draw my loved one to a person who is radiating Your Love and Truth."

Maybe YOU are the person God will use to reach the ones I cannot directly influence. Maybe I will be the messenger of Truth God raises up in answer to some stranger's prayer far away.

Do you see? If we do not live daily in God's presence, feasting on His Word, asking Him to give us a heart for the unsaved, we will not radiate...there will be nothing to unveil, as it were.

Think about it: if I am living obsessed in love with Christ, it will radiate. It will radiate. The sun radiates - you can't mistake it; you can't miss it. It gives off such heat, such light. I used to see this responsibility to shine as something I needed to produce or make happen. And while it is true that I must take pains to be obedient to the Spirit's voice, I am seeing that as I sit at the feet of Jesus, I begin to....glow. Then, loving others and wishing their salvation is an inevitable result, a necessary action.

Oh, pray for passion for the lost. Pray for opportunity and boldness to share the gospel. Ask His help in being intentional in relationships in every sphere of your influence! Pray for the grace to love Jesus more.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Philippians 3:12).