Discovery: Verse 12 is the verse that stood out to me the most in this passage. "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." Paul is talking about a hope that comes from the surpassing glory of Christ. If the Israelites in the Old Testament could experience the glory of God through the Law, how much more should we experience the glory of God through the sacrificial love of Christ?
Moreover, Paul goes on to say that we can/should be bold about this hope. Previously, there were barriers that prevented us from seeing and experiencing the full glory of God. Paul refers to the veil that covered Moses face and the veil that covered our understanding of God's Word. But verse 16 states that this is no longer the case in Christ: "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
The word for glory in the NT is the root word "doxa." It refers to the splendor, radiance, majesty, and preeminence of God. In the OT, we see the glory of God through various images of divine transcendence (i.e. burning bush, parting of Red Sea, Moses' face shining with the glory of God, etc.). In the NT, we see the glory of God personified in the person of Christ (John 2:11 "This, the first of the miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him."). In our passage, Paul states that we are marked by His glory and are called to share this with the world around us.
Application: I confess that I have a very weak and small picture of God's glory. Just the other day, I was running late to pick up my son and I made it just in time before the 6pm cutoff (afterward 6pm, we get charged $1 per minute that we are late). I remember saying out loud, "Praise God!" I remembering catching myself right when I said this. Giving praise and glory to God has to be much more than just thanking Him for helping me through life's inconveniences.
I love verse 17: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." I want to have the freedom, boldness, and courage that comes from experiencing His glory each and everyday. Rather than being limited or veiled in my understanding of God's activity in my life, I want that freedom and boldness that comes through this transforming faith.
I think this quote from Marianne Williamson which Nelson Mandela used during his presidential inaugural speech in 1994 expresses my heart's desire.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Prayer: Let me experience Your glory anew this week so that I can have the freedom and boldness to be a shining light to the various people that I come in contact with this week.
