As in a Mirror

When we look in the mirror, what we see is the reflection of ourselves. What the mirror shows truthfully and undeniably is the reality of what we look like. Many of us spend hours in front of a mirror dressing our face with makeup, eye shadows, eye brows straightening. At the end of this ordeal, we take a last look in the mirror to perfect our art work. It is amazing what a little makeup here and there can do to a face. Thanks to a mirror that can be done. But all of these are external and superficial beauty we desire, so to be accepted by the world, wanting to feel good about ourselves. There is however, an internal beauty provided by our Lord YAHSHUA when He died to cleanse us from our sins and iniquities; It reflects from the soul to the world in ways that world will notice the difference. It is a beauty that shines love, unconditional love to all. Moses reflected the glory of God in his face when he came down the mountain, where he spent forty days and nights with God. The brilliance of God’s glory was so strong, he had to cover his face with a veil until he went up the mountain to talk to God. Imagine that!  Paul said that Moses veiled his face so that the Israelites might not gaze upon the finish of the vanishing [splendor which had been upon it] (II Cor. 3:13). Moses carried with him the splendor of the glory of God every time he saw Him.

Like Moses, we God’s people have access to His presence and experience His glory, because YAHSHUA tore the veil that separated the holy from the unholy from top to bottom. He opened our eyes of understanding to perceive as in a mirror His glory being reflected in us. So, becoming more like Him, we experience the ever-increasing glory, as we are transformed into His image. This is done by the Holy Spirit, Who works sanctification through molding us into being like YAHSHUA. This is a beautiful gift, but at the same time very painful too, because our soul being carnal does not submit to God easily. Its desires are evil, and contrary to God’s holy desires and so are the thoughts of the mind; our emotion acts circumstantially depending on what is happening. As a result, the shinning of the glory of God fades away, His joy from where we receive our strength is diminished. We want to be like YAHSHUA; indeed, but going through the breaking of the power of our will, thoughts and emotions, is not easy to accept. Going through his spiritual battle, Paul expressed himself the feeling that we also struggle: “But I discern in my bodily members a different law at war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs. O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliverer me from this body of death? O thank God! [He will] through YAHSHUA Messiah our Lord! …” (Rom. 7:23-25a). Yes, God, in his love through the Holy Spirit, continues refining us and perfecting us until the day He calls us home. As silver and gold must be refined for the purpose of shinning the inner beauty as jewelry on the neck of one, or on the finger of another, we must submit to the work of the Holy Spirit of refining and transforming us from glory to another degree of glory according to His will. The veiled faces of those who continuously reject the truth is made impossible to perceive, to hear and listen, for darkness has covered their understanding. Not until they turn to the Lord in repentance will they be unveiled.