Removing The Veil #107

2 Corinthians 3:12-18
12 Since this new covenant gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory fading away. 14 but the people’s minds were hardened, and even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. 17 Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, He gives freedom. 18 And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more. (NLT)

The New Covenant, the covenant of grace, extending through Jesus death and resurrection, the privilege of being right with God by grace through faith is the basis of our confidence before God. Unlike the Old Covenant written on tablets of stone and given to Moses as the Law the New Covenant was written on the human heart.

Whenever we attempt to live by law, rules, regulations and believe that the achievement of that attempt gives us a real relationship to God we are fooling ourselves and a veil of non-truth is over our eyes. Moses came from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments and because of being in the presence of God and receiving the law his face shined with the glory of God. Yet the glory faded. Moses wore a veil over his face so Israel could not see glory fading away.

The New Covenant in the blood of Christ does not fade. The glory of God is reflected in the life of everyone who comes to believe in Christ. The veil is removed and God’s glory is reflected as a mirror in the life of the believer. The reason is because the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, lives in every believer. Not only is the veil removed, the glory of God reflected in the life of the believer; but as the Spirit works in your life you become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more. What an incredible thought; God is in you and is working in your life to make you like Jesus, for His glory. No wonder Romans 11:36 says: “For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore. Amen.”

______________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from rain soaked Tempe, AZ! The Monsoon Season
hit this week with wonderful rain. Living in the desert makes rain a real blessing. The Lord continues to bless Sandy and I both with opportunities to minister the word. I preached this past Sunday at Laveen Baptist. After two morning services and an evening service I slept real good Sunday night. I thank God for the strength.

I will be going to MO this next week in order to see my Dad and help him become a permanent resident in a senior adult care living center. I am so grateful he is doing well and that he looks forward to living there.

Sandy and I will be preaching and teaching in Louisiana Sept. 8-21 and in Virginia Oct. 22-24 and in Ohio Nov. 5-7. We so look forward to seeing the folks in these areas and in sharing with them about the wonderful grace of God.

God is good and I praise Him constantly for His provisions. I do pray He will bless you today with good news and special help for a need you have. Let me know what God is doing in your life. I will pray for you and rejoice with you.

If you know someone who might like to receive The Encourager please send me their name and email address or send them to the blog site. ~DGW