Transformation means change

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

TRANSFORMING MEANS CHANGE

2 Cor 3:12-18

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.

NIV

Again, Paul drives the point home regarding the difference between the old and the new covenant. This is very close to what the veil in the temple represented. It kept the people separated from the shekinah glory of God. When Moses met with God it caused his face to shine, to reflect this glory of God, but he had to put a veil over his face so the people would not be harmed by God’s glory. The old covenant still has the veil and although we read it to this day the veil must still be in place. The old covenant does not give us life. It is interesting to read and there is a whole lot of history of mankind and their relationship with God, but it does not give us life. There is much truth within the scriptures in the Old Testament, including all the laws, the old covenant God made with his people, but none of it gives us life. There are volumes of beautiful Psalms with wonderful words about God and make great reading, but they do not give us life. Nothing within the old gives us life, and that is why we need Jesus. He has removed the veil, just as the veil was torn in the temple when Jesus died on that cross. He brought us life. We do not live in the old for the old has passed away and all things have become new. We live in the new creation and without veils so that we not only reflect the shekinah glory of God, but His glory dwells within us so we can reflect it. We are being, we are in the continual process of transformation into his likeness, and God’s glory is ever-increasing within us. This has to mean that we are not the same today as we were yesterday because His glory is ever-increasing as we are being transformed. Once the transformation begins it cannot be stopped. Although at times we might think that we are stuck in a rut, day in and day out the same old thing, nothing new is happening in our lives. We live with a routine that makes us comfortable. We might resist change because we are content with the way our life is. But the fact remains we are and cannot be static in our becoming like Him. We are not in charge of our transformation, Christ is and He is consistently at work within us, changing us, reforming us, transforming us into His likeness, and therefore we will and should reflect the shekinah glory of God. It is interesting the word shekinah means the dwelling or settling and denotes the dwelling of the divine presence. Because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, this shekinah glory is dwelling within for the presence of God is in us. But have we veiled it? Are we hiding it under the veil of our humanity? It would seem this may be possible, but then we would not be living in step with the Spirit. But He is calling out the cadence and if we hear his voice we will walk in the Spirit and live in a constant state of transformation, ever-changing, as His ever-increasing glory glows from within us.