"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17 New Revised Standard Version
Some of you know we have two dogs; Chace, our 12-year old Maltese, and Jordan's 9-year old English Pointer. On our nightly walks, we allow Chace to remain off-leash for most of the time. He loves this! While Bella is more interested in walking, Chace is all about sniffing and exploring. He frequently stops enjoying his freedom immensely. When he scampers up to rejoin, you can tell he is one happy little dog.
In today's verse, Paul talks about another kind of freedom, the spiritual freedom found in Jesus. In verses 7-19, he explains why the new covenant offered through Jesus supersedes the promise given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God wrote the old covenant in stone; the Holy Spirit writes the new law in our hearts. Once there was the need for an intercessor between God and man, now we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us as and Jesus Christ as our intermediary. After meeting with God, Moses had to remain veiled so the people could look on him; otherwise, the radiance on his face was too bright. After a short while though the brightness would fade. Through Jesus, we have a radiance that should remain unveiled for the world to see. Verse 18 concludes with this promise, "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." Through the Holy Spirit, we have the gift of freedom that comes in our spiritual transformation!
God, we give you thanks for the spiritual freedom that comes through the Holy Spirit. Let us demonstrate to the world your radiant presence through our unveiled faces. Help us each day in our transformation. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Blessings!
Pastor Tim
