Scripture: 2 Cor. 3:7-18 (CEB)
7 The ministry that brought death was carved in letters on stone tablets. It came with such glory that the Israelites couldn’t look for long at Moses’ face because his face was shining with glory, even though it was a fading glory. 8 Won’t the ministry of the Spirit be much more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation has glory, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness? 10 In fact, what was glorious isn’t glorious now, because of the glory that is brighter. 11 If the glory that fades away was glorious, how much more glorious is the one that lasts!
12 So, since we have such a hope, we act with great confidence. 13 We aren’t like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites couldn’t watch the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were closed. Right up to the present day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil is not removed because it is taken away by Christ. 15 Even today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But whenever someone turns back to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. 18 All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
What does this passage mean to me/us?
Contributed by Mark Moyer
In 2 Cor. 3:7-18, Paul talks about the day that Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets of stone (Ten Commandments) after being with God. Moses had been on the mountain alone with God. When he returned, his face was shining so brightly that they put a veil over his head so that they could look at him. Moses had spent time in the presence of God and it showed up in his countenance.
When I was a much younger man, God placed His call on my life, and my relationship with Him grew daily. As I spent time with Him, I began to understand how much He loved me and how He wanted to bless my life. He gave me a wonderful wife and family as well as a career in full-time Christian service. Things could not be better.
Then I began to let sin creep into my life without letting God have control of it, and my whole world began to fall apart. I could not longer see God because there was a veil between Him and me. Every time I went to Him to pray, He would always address my sin and I didn’t want to let go of that sin, so I grew further and further away from Him until I could no longer see Him or hear His voice again.
Our sin is real, whether we recognize it or not. It blocks God’s glory from shining through us. However, when we confess our sin and come before God once again, we can then enjoy being in His presence again, and His glory will be all around us. Just like Moses, when we spend time with the Father, His glory shines in every area of our life. People can see God in our face and in the way we live for Him. God touches every area of our being as we spend time with Him.
When His church comes together for worship, the same thing happens. We collectively stand before God in worship and ask Him to forgive our sins. We seek His presence, and He never fails to show up, because He wants to bless his children and shine through them. So we come into the sanctuary to bring our sin, our brokenness, and our pain. As we place ourselves in His presence and ask for His forgiveness, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness and makes us whole again.
Go before God right now and turn all of what weighs you down over to Him, and you will shine in His glory, just like Moses.
Think about this: What in your life right now is being a veil between you and God and blocking God’s blessings? What is it that keeps you from experiencing the Glory of God? Take it before Him right now and let go of it. If it seems too hard to let go of, then ask someone for help. Nothing is too big for God. He will remove the barriers that block us from coming to Him if we believe that He is able. The Holy Spirit will fill us once again, and His Glory will be able to shine.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I accept your cleansing blood that comes into our lives to tear down anything that is between us. Father, I believe that you can remove this veil between us because of what your son, Jesus, has done on the cross. I accept His sacrifice for my sin, and I want to live in your Glory forever.
In Your Name I pray, Amen.
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