March 24

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. II Corinthians 3:17-18

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 (see Romans 8:29, Galatians 4:19, Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2) The more closely we follow Christ, the more we will be like Him. In the Old Testament, the original Ten Commandments were placed in the Ark of the Covenant which was place in the middle of the temple and surrounded by a huge veil. Only the high priest could enter and make atonement for the sins of the people. When Christ died on Calvary, the veil was torn from top to bottom, thereby signifing the freedom that we know have in Christ. Not freedom to do whatever we want as some people will rationalize their poor choices and bad behavior, but freedom to approach Christ ourselves, without need of a high priest. Whatever you are going through today, you have been given freedom to approach boldly the throne of grace and cry out to Jesus to change your circumstances or, at the very least, to grant you peace in the middle of your turmoil. So many people walk around this valley as if there is no hope, but there is hope! Where is your hope today? I pray that you allow the Lord to work in you and through you and allow Him to transform you from the inside out. Live on and may the Lord bless you, J.H