Week 2, Radiant Prayer, Day 3: Righteousness
(Read Exodus 34:29-30; 2 Corinthians 3:6-18)
When we confess and forsake our sins (repentance) and understand that our communion with God is faith-based and not performance-based (that is a relationship based on trust), then we understand that we can be radiant Christians. Unlike Moses, though, our radiant prayer life is based not on the external presence of God, but the internal presence of God within us. Look at Exodus 34:29-30.
Glorifying Righteousness: If I could
summarize today’s devotion, it would be this:
Radiance which comes by legalism is fading.
Radiance which comes by liberty is forever.
When Moses spent time with God, he was receiving the law,
the Ten Commandments, which told the Hebrews what they could and could not do.
The two tablets of the Testimony sealed humanity’s fate that they would never
be able to live before God perfectly. The law that measures how high and how
far we should jump also reveals how far we fall short. It shows just how sinful
we really are.
2 Corinthians 3:6-18. Read it for yourself, then allow me to paraphrase that passage below:
The Old Testament’s Law was gloriously
written in letters in stone. Israel was afraid to even look at the face of
Moses because of his glorious glow from being in God’s presence. A veil covered
his face because they could not look at the face of Moses for very long, not
only because of the radiance, but it also showed how glorious God was. And it
showed how dark and unholy they were. That ministry was of death and
condemnation!
In contrast, there is a New Testament glory,
a new ministry of the Spirit and righteousness, more glorious because it comes
from within. This law, written on our hearts, encourages us to live. It is not written
on stones to condemn us to death. The glorious radiance of Moses was fading and
he put on a veil. Our hope, on the other hand, takes the veil away, because
God’s Holy Spirit is within us, bringing us liberty, not bondage. We unveil our
face to reflect the Lord’s glory. His glory transforms us to be a reflection of
Him! Because of this glorious ministry of God’s mercy we
received, we will not fade or faint.
When you go to God in prayer, know that your righteousness
is given to you in liberty through faith and it will last forever. Without
Christ, the glory of self-righteous legalism will quickly fade.
Pray this
prayer to God: “Thank You
Lord Jesus for bestowing on us Your righteousness which is received and
revealed in us by faith in what You did at the cross. Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment