Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please go to this video link to see/hear a video of Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing the poignant and powerful song, He’ll Do Whatever It Takes, reminding us that Jesus will do whatever it takes to transform us into the image of Himself when/if we’re willing to pursue that image by looking into His life and following Him.
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Highlight Passage – NKJV: 2nd Corinthians 3: 18 [NKJV] …
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
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Highlight Passage [Context] – NKJV: 2nd Corinthians 3: 7-18 [NKJV] … Go to this link …
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Reference Passage #1: Exodus 33: 17-23 [NKJV] … Go to this link …
Reference Passage #2: Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] …
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. … "
Reference Passage #3: John 10: 27 [NKJV] …
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Reference Passage #4: Philippians 1: 6 [NKJV] …
6 … being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; …
Reference Passage #5: Galatians 5: 22-23 [NKJV] …
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.
My Journal for Today: Have you ever looked into a flower (see attached photo), … or maybe a gorgeous sunset, … or maybe into the face of your first born, … or perhaps into the eyes of your beloved when his/her smile gives away indescribable joy? All of these, and other view points in life, I believe are God giving us glimpses of glory, … little visual snip-its of elements of life which go WAY beyond self and let us see a bit of what it’s going to be like in glory.
These are moments when we do what Jesus told His disciples they must do to follow Him [see Luke 9: 23]. And these moments encourage us when we see a bit of what following Christ is all about. They are like that moment (use the link to Exod. 33: 17-23 above) when God gave Moses just a little glimpse of Himself. He couldn’t let Moses look upon His face, because it would’ve been too much for Moses to behold. But when Moses beheld what he was allowed to see, it transformed Moses, even to the point of the prophet having to wear a veil later to cover what became of his countenance.
And in today’s highlight passage from 2nd Cor. 3: 7-11, the Apostle Paul writes that if just one glimpse of glory was enough to transform Moses, we can imagine how much more transformative getting to see Jesus can be. And this is how we can (and must) go beyond self to see as much of the Savior which God will give us, getting glimpses of glory to encourage us to want to want to see more of our Savior so that we’ll want His Spirit to transform us into the real deal of what we see in our Savior.
And that, my dear reader, is why you find me here everyday, delving into God’s major glimpse of glory, … His word. Because as I get to see more of Jesus and deny myself in the process; I get to partake more and more of Who He is; and that involves partaking of His fruit (see Gal. 5: 22-23).
Years, ago, a mentor told me that I would see these fruit of the Spirit mature and sweeten in my life more and more the more I pursued getting to know my Lord; and he led me to do that by doing all I could to know Him through His word. And my mentor was right. I’ve found that the more I get to know Christ via His word, the more He gives me glimpses of glory in my life; and the more I experience His fruitfulness.
What about you today, my friend? Do you want to see more of God’s glory and less of yourself? Do you want to taste more of His fruit in your life (see Gal. 5: 22-23) and less of the fruit of the flesh (see Gal. 5: 19-21)? Do you want to become more like THE ONE you follow? Well, join me in digging into His word each morning; and you’ll find He’s willing to show you more of His glory and to sample His fruit as you get to know Him more from His word.
My Prayer for Today … Lord, thank you for providing me with THE WAY to see glimpses of Your glory, by getting to know You through Your word. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread [TGIF], distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read the Our Daily Bread blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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