2 Corinthians 3:12-18

2 Corinthians 3:12-18  Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.  We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.  But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read.  It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.  Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.  But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  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. 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  Where Jesus is, that is where the Spirit is.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He becomes the essential part of our life: the dynamo, the fire within.  The old lifestyle is put away, and a new life spawns within.  We are no longer obligated to do religious activity to reach God, for He is resident within us.  And because of his presence, a new world of freedom opens up to us.  For where the Spirit is, there is freedom.  The veil of bondage has been lifted from OUR EYES, for we are no longer under the burden of the Law.  We now live in Jesus with an understanding that He has done the work of transformation, and because of that work we are free in our spirits, realizing that righteousness does not depend on us but on Christ.  With that understanding, we dance with joy, praise God with vigor, sing songs passionately, and pray believing.     

All Christians have their ups and downs, but in Christ, who lifts us up into heavenly places, we are always conquerors.  We just don't always realize it. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:37-39)  In the above passage, the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul that we who are following God, not under the covenant of law or under religious rituals, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.  Otherwise, God is doing a mighty work within us every day, for we are his sons and daughters.  We are to be free as He is free--free to reflect his nature, his likeness, to a hurting world.  We have his DNA in us.  We are free to live joyously.  As Christians we should be much like the young calf who has just been released into an expassive pasture from the confines of a dark, dank barn.  As the calf would, we should run, jump, skip, turn gloriously around, for we are FREE.  We are free from the bondage of the Law and the pressures and guilt of sin.  We are free from the dread of condemnation and the knowledge of our failure to please God.  We are free to bask in the sun (Son).  Hallelujah!  

Today, appropriate your freedom by expressing God's love to the world--your world.  Let freedom in Christ, the lover of your soul, sink deep within your consciousness and bring forth joy unspeakable and full of glory.  (1 Peter 1:8 KJV)  God has made you distinct, different.  He has made you unique to reflect his likeness to the world.  He is perfecting that work that He started in you and promises to bring to completion.  Praise God, God has set you free.  You are free, and as the apostle John wrote, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:36)