Time to Celebrate
Opening Prayer
Father God, open the eyes of my heart and mind so that I can see the truth You have for me today.
Read 2 CORINTHIANS 3:7-18
[7] Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, [8] will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? [9] If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! [10] For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. [11] And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! [12] Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. [13] We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. [14] But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. [15] Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. [16] But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [17] Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] 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. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What does Paul say is the hope of believers (18)?We’ve been transported to paradise in the last few days through close encounters with the Song of Songs. Here Paul is talking about a close encounter with the glory of God (7,8). “The world is charged with the grandeur of God,” writes Gerard Manley Hopkins. “It will flame out, like shining from shook foil.” In the same way, God’s glorious Law was announced by mountain fire, radiant with his presence, in a honeymoon moment after the Hebrews had eloped from Egypt (Exod. 24:15-18). Like a bride, Moses’ face continued to shine long after the vows had been exchanged (Exod. 34:34,35), so much so that he wore a veil.
The beautiful girl in the Song of Songs is veiled, too (4:1,3), but it’s plain that her lover can see right through that! There’s no hiding the excitement of love. Neither can Paul contain himself (18). How do you respond to the glory of God? A character in Frederick Buechner’s novel Brendan has an idea: “Would that the lake was filled to the brim…so that all the women and men in the land could drink to God’s fiery glory”!
Apply
Praise God for his “fiery glory” at the end of this day and pray that others will see it, too.
Closing prayer
What a great and glorious God You are, Lord! May I always be eager to acknowledge that to You and others.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.