2 Corinthians 3:6-18 (NIV)
“6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 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, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was 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 transitory 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 prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing 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 all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
On Sunday, we looked at the impact that the presence of God can have in, and on, our lives, we looked at the verses above, we shared testimonies, we worshipped together, prayed together and fellowshipped together.
It is often easier to experience God’s presence in an atmosphere like Sunday’s, where people are worshipping together enthusiastically, but maybe on Monday morning? Maybe not so much?
We’ve been watching The Chosen recently on Amazon Prime, and we’re enjoying it very much. Obviously it is a fictionalised account rather than a fly on the wall documentary, but we’ve found it interesting how seeing things acted out in this way brings a fresh understanding of things. For instance, on a few occasions we’ve watched as people come up to Jesus, seeking his attention. Jesus’ reply? “I need to spend time with my Father.”
Experiencing God’s presence is not automatic. As we see here, even Jesus had to set aside time to experience the presence of God.
Difficult though it is, in this busy, busy, world, we need to be willing to do this too. If it’s good enough for Jesus…
Go Deeper
Set some time aside. If it’s helpful, have a look at the Bible passage we used on Sunday. Paul is writing to the Christians at Corinth, describing the difference between his background in the law of Moses compared to the new Spirit filled life he finds as a follower of Christ. Paul is excited! I know, it’s not easy to tell sometimes, but just enjoy verse 18!
And enjoy this song from Sunday…
