Unveiled Faces

There is always a scripture that prompts my heart to dig a little deeper and uncover God's treasures.   The scripture that caught my attention is found in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18.  Before we look at the scripture, I want to address what Paul says in the verses prior.  He is writing about the glory of the New Covenant, Jesus.  In order to present the glory of it, he makes the comparison of the Old Covenant and the New. If the Old Covenant, a ministry with engraved letters on stone revealing our unrighteousness can create the radiance shining on the face of Moses in Exodus, then how much more should the ministry of Christ, our New Covenant, which gives us righteousness - reveal the true glory and radiance of God.  Also he mentions the  Old Covenant, that has since faded away came with glory - how much greater is the glory of that which lasts for eternity.  Moses covered his face with a veil after experiencing the glory of God.  But take a look at what God's word says regarding when we look at the New Covenant, "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 all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

When I first read this scripture, I was reminded of how desperate our world is for us to unveil our faces and show the glory of the New Covenant.  What kind of radiance does your life reflect?  Moses saw the glory of God.  He longed to be in God's presence, he went seeking Him and he had personal communion with Him.   Are you longing for the Lord like that?  In the book of Jeremiah 31, years before Christ, God promised He would do something new.  He would replace the Old Covenant with our Messiah.  He made a way to powerfully move into our lives and write His will on our hearts...so that we can love, trust and follow Christ.  It is through faith, that we look upon Him and are changed by the Holy Spirit.  The veil is taken away only when Jesus is accepted and the Holy Spirit lives with in us.  When we accept Him, we are transformed little by little in Christ's likeness.  It is a process day by day - reading His word, coming to Him in prayer and honoring Him with our lives.  

As we read further in 2 Corinthians, chapter four, there is a veil that remains for those who don't know Christ.  "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."  Those who don't know Him are blind and their hearts are veiled to God's glory, truth and gospel.  God help us all to find areas to serve a blind world and show them our unveiled faces - revealing to them the blessed assurance we have in the Lord.