Unveil My Face & Make Me Up



A complete makeover. That's what I need.

And although I might need a few tweaks here and there when it comes to my style, that's not quite what I mean. But I do need someone to make me up.

The Bible says, "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV) The New Living Translation is also a cool way to read this verse: "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."

That's the makeover I'm talking about--being changed into the image of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

And wow, I have a lot of work still to be done! But the good news is, my true face--the one that I was created to have--has been unveiled. Sin has fallen away and God is transforming me. It may be a slower process than He might like some of the time. But the process is underway.

I'm not sure about you, but I am making imperfect progress along the way of my sanctification. But that's okay. Most of us probably are. God understands that we are human--that we are "only dust." But if we, as Christians, are not constantly trying to improve ourselves--cut out those few words that slip out, forgive that person that slighted you, make an effort to be self-sacrificial when you want to be selfish, cut the ties to something that you know is holding you back from a pure heart or mind, and even consider if there is anything that you are doing that might not be conducive to honoring Christ, knowing Him, and expanding His kingdom...then what are we doing? Are we only playing at being Christians? Is His grace active in us or is it, truly, in vain?

Wow. Yikes. We have a high calling, don't we? But how glorious--to have that calling, to have that hope, to know that He is patient enough to still work on us.

As I said last time, the Bible says our "righteousness is as filthy rags." So, even our very best is, simply put, not good enough. We need the covering--the cloak--of Christ's perfect righteousness to be able to enter the presence of God. Otherwise, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I'd be struck down by lightening. So, thank God that He had the perfect plan for an Intercessor--Someone that would take our place and plead our case before Him.

But in this life on Earth, the truth is, we are just flawed people. Our flesh haunts us, and until we are in our eternal body, we will continue to have fits with ourselves.

There is one good thing about our imperfection, even as we strive for better and continue to be transformed into His image--there is no danger in leading people to ourselves as the example. It is always Christ that is Who we should be pointing people to. At least until we think we are like Paul, that is. I think he did tell people to do like he did if they wanted an example to immolate. But I am not Paul yet. I'm not sure that many of us are. And even he admitted that he was the chief of sinners. Christ, alone, was righteousness personified.

I think that "working out our salvation" is the process of our sanctification. We show in deed and word, in continuing to be transformed into the image of Christ, that we are, indeed, saved.

Because if our deeds do not line up with what we say that we believe, especially over a long period of time, I think a serious questioning needs to occur--are we even believers in the first place? Why would we say that we have taken up the cross of Christ, have died to ourselves, and live now only for Him....only to do the very exact things that He tells us not to? And if you are in sin, especially grievous sin, and you are not constantly haunted by it and moving toward repentance--I think that you have some serious praying and seeking to do.

We all have some serious praying and seeking to do, no matter where we are on the scale or pendulum swing toward our eventual completion and perfection in Christ (which I don't believe will be completely fulfilled until we are out of these fleshly bodies as mentioned earlier). But we all need to ask the Lord where we are failing Him and where we can let some things go or improve our character.

I don't want to arrive in the presence of the Lord someday and see His eyes filled with disappointment. That would break my heart. I want for Him, someday, to see me as His handmaiden, that walked, lived, prayed, believed, and worked out her salvation with sincerity of heart, knowing all the while that without His blood and grace, I wouldn't be able to face him at all. But still, to please the Lord with who I am and how I live my life, is there any greater joy?

I read somewhere that our job is to be obedient and that His job is everything else. So, let's take some steps of obedience today, shall we? And leave the consequences with Him, knowing that partaking in His glory will be so much more, so much a better replacement for whatever we let go of, that we might very well be taken under by His faithfulness to us.