“The Lord Reigns” The Anthem of our Praise! Part Two
MERRY THURSDAY BY PARRIS BAILEY-
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
The more we all dive into the Pauline Epistles we begin to get the full picture of what Paul is saying here- “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27) There is nothing like a good steak and potatoes meal reading his epistles! Talk about getting “all up in your area”. There was no gray area with Paul. We can sing sweetly the Psalms, find guidance in Proverbs, fall in love in the Song of Songs, cry with Jeremiah and the prophets, and mourn over the children of Israel. But when it comes to the Pauline Epistles, we dive into the mystery of the not only Christ but Christ in us.
Gill put’s it this way; ‘We all are being changed into the image of Christ. It is not a human achievement. it is a growth produced by the creative power of the Spirit. “For God is at work with you, both to will and to work”. (Phil. 2:13) We must work out our own salvation, of course, but all effective action is a response to the creative activity of God in us. We work out what God works in. A plant grows by thrusting forth its twigs and leaves into the light. This activity occurs as a response to the play of the sunlight and the rain to which the plant is exposed. In the soul the likeness of Christ is shown through contemplation of the glory of The Lord.”
So what have you been gazing at lately? Every morning I am able to walk to the mighty Mississippi, where you see reflections of trees in the water, flocks of birds, huge cargo vessels from all over the world and tugboats. Paul says when we gaze into Christ’s glory His image not only reflects back on us but we are being changed! My goodness what a glorious Gospel!
Let me give you one more thought! Interpreter Bible says, “The ministry of the New Testament is indeed not connected with an external, physical brightness of the face, but it possesses a spiritual glory, which far transcends any bodily brightness, a glory which is imparted to the mind, heart, and body of every believer, making his life a reflection of the divine, eternal glory. “The glory of the Lord is the knowledge of God. Moses had glory, that is, the knowledge and understanding of the Law. But now we have gone through this and have a higher knowledge of Christ the Lord; that gives power to fulfill the Law, through whom we have received forgiveness of sins, there His glory is reflected in us, that is: As the brightness of the sun is reflected in water or in a mirror, Christ is reflected and sheds His brightness into the heart, we are glorified from one glory to another, we daily grow and know the Lord ever more clearly.” Whew!