Interconnected: RelationshipsSample

A Transforming Glory

Moses had a rare experience with God. He actually spoke with the Lord “face to face.” Nobody got to do that. And something supernatural happened when this took place: God’s glory actually shone from Moses’ face for a period of time. But Moses knew that the glory he reflected into the world was going to fade with time. So, to protect the children of Israel, whose golden-calf-worshiping-hearts were very hard, he put a veil over his face to separate them from the fading glory of God. The only evidence they would have that Moses talked to God was the Ten Commandments.

Paul describes a different experience with the glory of God that Christians can behold every day. By the Holy Spirit, the glory of God doesn’t fade. While the children of Israel would have witnessed the fading of God’s glory on Moses’ face, we’ll never witness the end of God’s glory.

The veil Paul writes about represents a separation of people from God. But in this new relationship by the Spirit, the veil is removed. Not only in how we relate to God, but also in how we relate spiritually to one another. There is a level of intimacy we now have through the Spirit of God that was never possible before Jesus.

The Holy Spirit “writes” His law on our hearts. Our lives are evidence that God has given us a new heart. To say it another way, the glory of God, by His Spirit, has changed us, and He’ll use us to continue to transform others. For instance, God has used the glory that shines through my wife to transform me.

As God’s agents of this transforming glory, we have great hope. New possibilities are inevitable in our relationships with family, other believers, and all relationships, as this unfading glory shines from the inside out.

DIG: What is the difference between the Old Testament way of relating to God and the New Testament relationship we have?
DISCOVER: How has the glory of God worked through someone else’s life to transform yours?
DISPLAY: Be mindful that the glory of God is reflecting through your transformed life into the world around you.