By David ReayWednesday 17 May 2017LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (NLT)
Our prime task in life is not to draw attention to ourselves but to Jesus. We are not to spend our lives painting some elaborate, detailed picture of ourselves for others to admire. We are to mirror something of Jesus. We have access to him and his grace and power—the ‘veil’ has been removed.
Our text today reminds us that this is a process. We are not instantly Jesus-like. Our becoming like Jesus is not even some smooth, gradual increase in holiness. We go up and down. We go forward and may even stumble backward. There is no such thing as instant maturity.
One other thing is important: while we focus on drawing attention to Jesus, this doesn’t mean obliteration of our own unique personalities. We witness to Jesus as distinct individuals. We mirror Jesus in our own way consistent with our own God-given personalities and passions.
This is part of the wonder and the mystery of being human, of being utterly surrendered to Jesus and yet utterly individual in that commitment. I am being changed to be more like Jesus. And yet I am becoming more like Jesus in my own way.
As we grow in Christlikeness we do not become identical. Perhaps being like Jesus is in truth being the unique individuals he has made us to be.
Blessings
David Reay