Remove your mask.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NIV)

One Sunday I was called to the church lobby to help a woman who had fled from service and was out in the parking lot crying. When I approached her and asked what the problem was she said, “I don’t fit here. I have so many problems. These people don’t have problems, how can they ever understand.” Problems? These people had problems coming out of their ears, but their Church masks covered them nicely. How deceived this woman was! I have heard Bill Welte mention more than once, the uniqueness of the Colony of Mercy. Unlike most churches, the Colony is a safe place to be real. The Colony men stand up and share how they are struggling and are embraced by their fellow residents. Why is it the exception rather than the norm for
people to share with their church that they are struggling? Why is it rare for people to feel safe in the one environment where they should be able to experience total acceptance and the support of the brethren?

Let me share with you an excerpt from The Teacher’s Commentary (pg. 877-878) regarding our passage today: “What Paul was referring to was the Old Testament description of Moses,
entering the tabernacle of God and returning to speak with the Israelites, transfused with a radiance and splendor…But then Moses noticed that the splendor faded. The glow went away! And ‘Moses…put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at tit while the radiance was fading away’ (v. 13). A process of deterioration was taking place, and Moses could not bear to have others see it.

But ah, the contrast! Paul said, ‘We are not like Moses’; instead, ‘We are very bold.’ And Paul explained: ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory,
which comes form the Lord, who is the Spirit.’ 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

What did Paul mean? Simply this: I unveil and reveal myself in order that you might see Jesus in me. Jesus is not revealed in some supposed human ‘perfection,’ but rather in our progressive transformation. It is not, ‘See how good I am,’ that witnesses to the reality of Jesus, but, ‘See
what God is doing in such a sinner.’”It’s time. It’s time to remove our masks and get real, to the glory of God.

Your challenge today is to ask God where you are prone to wear a mask and rob Him of His glory.

Diane

1 Richards, Lawrence O. The Teacher’s Commentary, Scripture Press Publications, 1987