Who Are You?

Who Are You?

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see reflected back to you the images of a fun house mirror, crazy photo booth effects, or a magnifying mirror? Are you a spiritual anorexic looking in the mirror through a veil, the veil that distorts the glory of the living God bestowed upon you? Or, can you see it? Can you see God Himself moving, breathing, creating, with increase, His glory onto the canvas of you?

Let's look at 2 Corinthians 3:7-18:

7 Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face—a fading glory— 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. 10 In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

12 Therefore, having such a hope, we use great boldness. 13 We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not stare at the the end of what was fading away, 14 but their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ. 15 Even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, 16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.    2 Corinthians 3:7-18 

It is my prayer that God remove any veil covering our hearts, minds, eyes, or even ears so that we can truly see what He sees. That God would take us deeper into seeing. Revealing to us how He sees, not just what He sees, but give us supernatural knowledge of the process He engages in when He looks... at us, those around us, our circumstances, our hearts, our thoughts... May God surprise us with His utter and unending glory and goodness so that His Kingdom reigns in our lives, and we are empowered to continue to establish that Heavenly Kingdom everywhere we set our feet.

Who are you? Today television, technology, and social media effortlessly place the perfection of the human image, its beauty, form and function, in the forefront of our minds' eyes. We cannot escape the war unscathed. Everywhere our eyes take us, we are bombed with a standard of excellence only satisfied by striving. Almost ironically, the effort needed to achieve such perfection is in direct contrast to the ease at which the standard is made available to us.

Who are you? If you are a child of God, a follower of The Way, the standard you are measured by is not the exploitation of the human image placed constantly in our faces, but your measuring stick is instead... the glory of God. You might be saying to yourself, "And just how is that supposed to make me feel better?! How could I possibly measure up to the glory of God? My friends' lives on Facebook are bad enough. But, the glory of God?! Explain that!" Well, let's look back at Paul's words in 2 Corinthians:

18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

 Looking back at the original Greek in this verse, "are looking as in a mirror" means to reflect as a mirror; to mirror. So, we, those children of God and followers of The Way, are actually reflecting God and His glory.

Who are you? Paul tells us in verse 17 that "whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed." When the veil is lifted off our faces, like that of a bride, our eyes can see clearly. What is it we are looking at once our sight is unhindered? Verse 18 tells us we are looking at "the glory of God." God's grace for us is to turn to Him so that He can show us Him in us. We are wooed into covenant with Him, the bridegroom, and He pulls back our veil so that we can look at His glory. His glory, doxa (Greek),  literally means "what evokes good opinion." When we get lost gazing at Him, His glory speaks to us of our own "inherent, intrinsic worth." God's grace for us is to turn to Him so that He can show us Him in us.

Who are you? With veil removed, look in the mirror.  God's glory abounds to shine on you kindling His fire of dreams, visions, gifts and callings in your life. Look closely... Look intently... Look with joyful anticipation for God's glory to spark the glory fire He birthed in you from the beginning of time. Look to find the reflection of His glory that only you can be.

Who are you? When we "look," by definition we direct our gaze toward someone or something or in a specific direction. Who we are then, according to Paul, can be determined by who, what or in which direction we are looking. The temptation of the enemy is to distract your gaze with oppositional people, disaster, less than ideal circumstances, an incurable diagnosis, loss... and the list could continue. Reverting our eyes away from the glory of God, gives the enemy the ability to steal, kill, and destroy the unique glory God bestowed on each of us. What we look at matters. Take David in the Bible for instance. (Part of his story can be read in 2 Samuel 11:1-4.) David was a man after God's own heart, a warrior and a king. Yet, when his gaze was distracted by a bathing beauty, Bathsheba, he gave the enemy territory to roam freely and wreak havoc not just in his own life, but in the lives of others as well.

Who are you? It matters. It matters not just for your sake, but for the sake of the people around you. Perseverance is "the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success." We do not persevere with the enemy's many attempts at distracting us. We persevere in staying focused, intently gazing at the glory of God. Because as we gaze at His abundant goodness "we are being transformed into [His] image from glory to glory." (2 Corinthians 3:18) Transformed... Our sight set on Him and not on the things around us transforms us... The Greek gives depth to the word transformed. In the original language it is the word metamorphoo where we get our word metamorphosis. Metamorphoo is two words "Meta" which means to change after being with and "morphoo" meaning changing form in keeping with inner reality. Time spent face to face with God, gazing at all His glory changes us from the glory bestowed on all humankind to the glory of Christ Himself.

Who are you? Who or what are looking at? What do you see? When we allow the enemy to distract us from who we are, a reflection of the glory of Almighty God, we live a life of compromise to Truth. We live unfulfilled, joyless lives because we don't see the glory God has equipped us with to accomplish the destiny He ignites deep within us. For me, I see glory, the crowing glory of all God's creation. Persevere to engage with God's glory allowing it to transform you into greater glory, the glory of who you've always hoped and dreamed to be.

hope for today

God has goodness (and lots of it) planned for you today. Do not accept the enemy's challenge to engage with other people's stuff? Instead, in everything, be determined to uncover the incredible goodness God has especially for you. Other people are not where we fix our gaze. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we see Him. What is He? Patient, kind, loving, joyful, capable, merciful, full of grace... Those are attributes (and many more) of His goodness that He has planned for you!!! He has abundant life for you! All of Him in abundance is available for you today!! Ask Him to reveal who He wants to be for you today! So, wipe your hard drive of frustration, anger, sadness, self-pity, anxiety or whatever the enemy has used to engage you with other people's stuff. When we abide in any or all of those mindsets and not in Jesus Himself, we choose to live in our own personal hell on earth. Instead, be steadfast and determined to engage only with the goodness of God!!!

CIV: Cara's Interpreted Version

After encouragement from friends and my man, I return to this place with something short and sweet.

There were two verses in Romans 6 that stuck out to me: "... you live under the freedom of  God's grace. (v.14) ... the free gift of God is eternal life... (v.23)" And, Romans 5:17, "... all who receive [God's gracious gift] will live in triumph over sin and death."

When I did a word study, I found the following:
  - free gift of God - the operation of grace (undeserved or divine favor)
  - eternal life - Eternal life does not focus on the future per se, but rather on the quality of the age it     relates to. Thus, believers live in "eternal life" right now, experiencing this quality of God's life now as a present possession.

So here's "Cara's Interpreted Version" of verse 23 in Romans 6:
  ... the operation of divine favor from God is experiencing the quality of God's life now as a present possession.

Now, lets put Romans 6:23 in the context of 6:14 and Romans 5:17:
  When our lives operate under the influence of undeserved, divine favor from God, we experience the present realization of the quality of God's life as a tangible gift and are thus living triumphantly over sin and death! What freedom we have as children of God!

Freedom

I have been mulling over the concept of freedom in my head for a couple of weeks. Freedom... I knew in my head that I was free, but I took that knowledge and used it selfishly. My concern was my own wants and desires and emotions. My actions were just an extension of those consuming thoughts all about me. I wanted people to change behaviors and ways of thinking so that I would no longer be frustrated by them. (Of course, their changes could bring about positive results for them as well and that's how I sold the lie to myself that they were interfering with my freedom.) My choices were about what would bring me sanity and comfort. All the while, my own personal actions (which were the only true things I did have control over) were bound up in a set of must-do's and do-not's in order to gain or keep God's favor.

While reading several books, two of which were on parenting, the authors presented our relationship with God in such a way that shifted my belief of how God viewed me and what is most important to Him. I have favor with God. I have God's favor no matter what choices I make. There is no choice that can keep me out of favor with Him or create a reason for Him to withdraw His favor. I knew this. But, it was only head knowledge. I did not believe this as Truth within the deepest parts of me.

So, I read and read and reread trying to make this paradigm shift become my reality. I am still reading wanting to live in this freedom of which they speak. God's light began pouring into my soul through each word illuminating the Truth of His love for me. For love, real love, honest, genuine love, can only be experienced in the context of relationship.  It is for love and relationship that Christ died. And love is only true when we have freedom... the freedom to choose love or to reject it. God gives us choice. We are free.

When our choices are reflected in relationships full of harmony, we are choosing love. We know longer make our decisions based on our own comfort and sanity. We think of the other person, be it God, our mate, our friends, our children, our neighbors, or even strangers, instead of acting out of the me that tends to be in our face always seeking first place. Life is hard. We struggle. We get hurt. We have obligations and responsibilities. But when we act to create amiable relationships, we are exhibiting at least one fruit, self-control. Choosing love gives power to the Holy Spirit to manifest itself in us and our relationships will often exhibit many more fruits of the Spirit. "...the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

As long as life sails smoothly, pride can enter in giving us the idea that these fruits are our own doing. Then the aim becomes the actions that give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to produce the fruits. We must remember we cannot control our actions into producing this fruit through a long list of do's and don'ts.

2 Corinthians 3:6-18 says, " ⁶ He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. ⁷ The old way,^[b] with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. ⁸ Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? ⁹ If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! ¹⁰ In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. ¹¹ So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! ¹² Since this new way 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, even though it was destined to fade away. ¹⁴ But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same 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 someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."

Yet, we live bound by the Old Covenant which burdens us and causes anguish and conflicts. We know what we should be because we created a list of actions that will get us there and yet we see a difference between what we should be and what we think we are. (Butterfly) To be free, we must see that when we were born again we were made new, washed clean, given a new heart, a pure heart. Our evil hearts died with Christ. "But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law." (Galatians 3:13)

God wants to lift the burdens we impose on ourselves that come when we try to control an evil heart with our lists... an evil heart that does not exist anymore. These burdens are compounded by a fear of failure. We don't often act out of freedom. We act out of fear of disappointing God with our failure. This fear of disappointing God and even others restrains our faith--keeps us bound by external controls, bound by lists of do's and don'ts, bound by the law... BOUND... NOT FREE. "Freedom comes by breaking a preconceived mold you have fastened around yourself." (Butterfly)

The fruit of the Spirit is produced when we take the focus off ourselves and our actions and their outcomes and put a priority on relationship and love. We will mess up, but it's like a baby learning to walk. When children learn to walk, do they make mistakes? Isn't that an absurd question? Of course not, the scenes I remember in my own children's lives were filled with happiness, hope, and excitement at every bit of progress. It was fun to see their delight in learning something new. They could sense my pleasure and feel my love. They were even eager to try again (eventually) after falling. If a baby were afraid of falling, he would never take the first step. But, because of love and encouragement, he has no fear and learns to laugh when he falls.

So... Slow down. Let others see your weaknesses and don't be afraid to fail now and then. Be secure in your relationship with God, in the love He has for you. You already have His favor.

We are free... "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." (Galatians 5:1) We are free to do as we choose. Free to build relationship and show love or free not to. The focus of our actions isn't the outcome of those actions, but what the actions speak into the relationship and the love we present. "For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:13-14)

Will others experience this freedom because of you? What will you do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i41qWJ6QjPI&list=WLwiFxMSOCGPraCS9HeFJZh_hHE0I8SyEe

(This train of thought was produced from reading Parenting on Purpose by Danny Silk, Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Faye, and Lord, I've Felt Like A Worm For So Long, It's Hard To Think Like A Butterfly! by Joan Wilson. Any quote or direct idea not referenced from the Bible (NLT), was taken from Joan Wilson's book.)

It Takes Two...

Pondering Isaiah 7, I am stuck on verse 10. "Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm."  It's not all God's part.  This "thing" is a relationship.  It takes two...

How often do I look at my life and think that God just didn't come through? This one little verse reminds me that I have a part to play.  It's not about a god in total control of an uncooperative, unwilling puppet.  Living is about a real trust placed in a real being according to the depth of the relationship.

How firm can my faith be if there is little or no personal experience with whom I am placing my faith?  Trust is incomprehensible without knowing the person being trusted.  Relationship is where it's cultivated.

If I want to stand firm in the face of fear, I must have a firm faith.  Firm faith in God occurs only through knowing him deeply, intimately in the context of real relationship.

Listening

It's been so long since I've sat at these keys writing it almost seems foreign to me.  Life now leaves little time to spend here.  I am flabbergasted at how much time I was putting into this place.  Sadness would have overtaken me many months ago if I knew just how little writing I get to do now.  But, instead I get to love on two amazing little boys who fill me more than they drain me. (Did I just say that?)

So, I sit at too late an hour pondering thoughts to put on the page knowing it is because my husband urges me that I am actually taking the time.  It is so quiet.  All is well in the house, at least for this moment.  And I write... I write...  Yet in this stillness I am beckoned to His feet to listen.  It is not my turn to speak.  His voice is faint. Can you hear it? 

1 Kings 19:11-13


11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Our world bombards us with NOISE.  In the quiet, if we ever find it, we often have no idea what we're doing there.  The NOISE occupies us...  What am I doing here?  My God calls to me, and I will listen.

Death or Life

As I begin, butterflies swirl around inside (or is that the little life within my womb endlessly tossing and turning).  Regardless,I wonder if I can still do this thing called blogging.  I am a bundle of nerves hoping I can make sense in the words that make it to the page.  Bear with me...

I have been traveling through 1 & 2 Samuel the past few weeks, maybe even months.  It is not a new place for me to be, but something new brews within as I read and relate to life.  Life... my life as been met head on with the heartache of death.  A 13 year battle with cancer in a cousin and the unforeseen death of a 5 year old have left me wondering, "Why life?" 

At the funerals, comfort seemed to take on the message: "They are with God now.  They are in heaven."  But, I wonder, as awesome as it that these two precious people now sit in the very presence of God, why were they given life.  Thirteen years fighting for life and five years living as though only the now mattered cause me to question whether I might have believed wrongly for many years.  Is heaven really the goal?  Are we put here to die and go to heaven? Or, should the question be more appropriately worded, is our time on earth a chance to live and go to heaven?

God has a desire for us to know Him.  So why does God leave us here to live for 13 more years after we receive our death sentence?  Why give a child life for only a short time?  I hear Him gently respond, "It is in the living, the fighting, the struggles, the now that you learn to know Me and are given opportunity to see Me, not the dying."

I've been reading about warrior David's fighting and battles in the books of Samuel.  David's fighting and daily living (interaction with family and friends) were not about revenge or trying to establish himself as king.  God had promised David he would be king over God's people Israel, but David left that victory in God's hands.  His actions (i.e. fighting battles, marrying, having children, creating allies, etc.) were an act of faith that God would do what He said He would do.  They are a testimony of his faith.  He literally lived Paul's words to Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith." (1 Timothy 6:12)

We must be like David and my cousin and that sweet child, trusting that God is.  But, we need not sit around twiddling our thumbs.  We must trust God with our living, our actions, believing with all we do that God will take ultimate victory.  "... faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17)

Life... yes, life!  God's goal in giving us life is not that we get to heaven.  His goal is not achieved in our dying rather our living.  His goal is that we use the LIFE He gives us to demonstrate our faith that He has and will do what He says He will do and take the victory.  May it be said of us all just as Paul knew it of himself, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)