I think we've all heard the phrase, "You're hiding behind a mask!" Check out what I saw this morning while reading Exodus 34 and 2 Corinthians 3:
"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD."
What struck me in this passage, is how Moses put a veil over his face for the Israelites but not for God. I think a lot of us try to "look perfect" before God. I am so encouraged to think that with God, I don't have to pretend to be someone different, someone I'm not. I can be real, honest and natural aka. NO MASK! I like the idea of God seeing me for who I am - imperfections and all - and then knowing in return, that He still wants to use me for His Purposes. It takes a lot of pressure off in realizing this fact. I'm not a student striving for an "A" in spirituality. I'm a life-long pupil realizing that God wants all of me and what is good for Him is certainly good enough for mankind. Okay, now the connection to this next passage....
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Messiah, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts...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, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?"
The part that struck me about this passage was thinking that my life is a "walking letter' since it reflects how others have impacted me. I thought about Rav. Shaul and how his followers didn't go around handing out small Tanakhs. They shared by expressing what God was doing in their lives. They were a living Tanakh and their actions were a testimony to all. So, what does this mean:
We need to hear from God (no veil), so we can encourage and strengthen others (living epistle). In this way, we will be a batch of beautiful letters (ink stains and all) used for reflecting our Creator. What I do, matters! My name is written on others' letters just as their names are inscribed on my own. I want a face that shines God's radiance like Moses.
Forget the Mask, Become a Letter!
"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD."
What struck me in this passage, is how Moses put a veil over his face for the Israelites but not for God. I think a lot of us try to "look perfect" before God. I am so encouraged to think that with God, I don't have to pretend to be someone different, someone I'm not. I can be real, honest and natural aka. NO MASK! I like the idea of God seeing me for who I am - imperfections and all - and then knowing in return, that He still wants to use me for His Purposes. It takes a lot of pressure off in realizing this fact. I'm not a student striving for an "A" in spirituality. I'm a life-long pupil realizing that God wants all of me and what is good for Him is certainly good enough for mankind. Okay, now the connection to this next passage....
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Messiah, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts...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, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?"
The part that struck me about this passage was thinking that my life is a "walking letter' since it reflects how others have impacted me. I thought about Rav. Shaul and how his followers didn't go around handing out small Tanakhs. They shared by expressing what God was doing in their lives. They were a living Tanakh and their actions were a testimony to all. So, what does this mean:
We need to hear from God (no veil), so we can encourage and strengthen others (living epistle). In this way, we will be a batch of beautiful letters (ink stains and all) used for reflecting our Creator. What I do, matters! My name is written on others' letters just as their names are inscribed on my own. I want a face that shines God's radiance like Moses.
Forget the Mask, Become a Letter!
