The other day I told you about my difficulty with what seemed to be a future I did not want. I turned to the Lord, gave it all to Him, and said if it was what He wanted me to do, I would do it. Turning to the Lord is the key. He holds our futures, loves us, wants the best for us, and wants us to follow where He leads for His purposes. It’s important because what we have with our Holy Father is a relationship–we willingly share ourselves and we desire to know Him more. “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.” (2 Cor. 3:16-18)

Paul says having the indwelling Holy Spirit is like having the veil removed from our hearts and minds so we can freely see God for Who He is and manifest His glory in our lives as we progressively become more like Christ.

By trusting Christ we are loved, accepted, forgiven, and freed to live for Him: “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. The glory that the Spirit imparts to the believer is more excellent and lasts longer than the glory that Moses experienced. By gazing at the nature of God with unveiled minds, we can be more like Him. In the gospel, we see the truth about Christ, and it transforms us morally as we understand and apply it. Through learning about Christ’s life, we can understand how wonderful God is and what He is really like. As our knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit helps us to change.

Becoming Christlike is a progressive experience. The more closely we follow Christ, the more we will be like Him. “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

When you look in the mirror, do you see Jesus? When other people look at your life, do they see Jesus? Paul is saying that’s what should be happening in your life. When the Holy Spirit indwells you and is at work in your life, the veil of self is lifted so that Jesus can be revealed!

As the Holy Spirit removes the veil of “Me” from my life, then my life begins to shine for the glory of God. Then my life begins to look like Jesus. So let the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, work in your life to form you into God’s image by replacing “Me” with “Him!”

Sources:

  • Life Application Study Bible and Bible Gateway
  • Unveiled