As a self-proclaimed Miss Goody Two Shoes, I never felt that I had a dramatic outward change in my appearance once I became a Christian. In fact, in the early days of my Christian walk, I struggled with whether I was truly a believer because I didn’t have a dramatic conversion story or a dramatically transformed life as far as my morals and ethics were concerned. My transformation came in quietly and in more subtle ways…
I am ashamed to say that before I became a believer, I would use the Lord’s name in vain. When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, there was an immediate transformation in that area! I was disgusted by the thought of ever dishonoring my Savior in that way and I never have since then.
Of course, the more time I spent in the Word and with fellow believers in Bible study and at church, this Miss Goody Two Shoes realized she had a lot of areas that needed transformation. And, I am still a work in progress. We all are!
Indeed, the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are transformed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are clothed in the righteous robes of Jesus. We are transformed from a sinner to a sinner saved by grace with the promise of heaven.
However, we must not stop there. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Let’s look at several ways we can live a transformed life for God’s glory.
To give some context as to why the Apostle Paul spoke about unveiled faces in the verse immediately above, he shared the following with the church at Corinth: “Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person 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 liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:12-17).
I can attest to this veil in my own life. Before I became a believer, my neighbor gave me a Bible. It was the New Living Translation. She told me to read it and that God would speak to me. Even with a translation that is designed to be an easier read, the Book was not speaking to me, at all! It was because Christ had not removed the veil from my eyes yet because I had not received the Holy Spirit through salvation in Jesus.
Now, I don’t want you to hear what I’m not saying. If you read a passage of Scripture and don’t understand it, it does not mean you don’t have the Holy Spirit or are not a believer. Absolutely, I can still have trouble understanding certain passages of Scripture and will go to a commentary to receive clarity. There is nothing wrong with that. In the story I shared above, none of it made sense, especially when compared to after I gave my life to Christ when the Words leaped off the page and I soaked them up as a deer panting for water. My heart finally understood.
Even as believers, we can place a veil over our eyes if we are consumed with the world and its pleasures or if we are heavily burdened with the worries of the world. As a result, we won’t see Jesus clearly. We will be looking at Him through that veil and have difficulty trusting and believing His promises. When in a season of trial, I’m sure you’ve either heard someone say it or said it yourself that God seems far away. It’s because we have put a veil over our eyes.
Be mindful of the things in your life that veil your eyes to the person and work of God. If the world has been too enticing, return and “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). If you are heavily burdened, “Cast your cares upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
When you’re diligent about remaining in the unveiled state that the Lord originally blessed you with, you will live a transformed life for God’s glory.
If I won the Miss America contest, my platform would be the Word of God. Typically, the contestants pick a platform about something they are passionate about. For me, it is Scripture.
As modern-day believers, we haven’t had the opportunity to behold God’s glory by seeing Him right in front of us. Exodus 33:20 says, “'But,' he said, 'you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.'” And Exodus 33:21-23 says, “GOD said, 'Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I’ll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I’ve passed by. Then I’ll take my hand away and you’ll see my back. But you won’t see my face.'” So if people in the Old Testament couldn’t behold His glory by seeing His face, how do modern-day Christians behold the glory of the Lord?
By turning their hearts toward Him. 2 Corinthians 3:16 says, “But whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” How do we turn to the Lord? Through prayer and reading of the Word. In honor of my “platform,” I would tell you that everything we know about God is written in the Holy Bible. Every Word of Scripture points to the glory of the Lord. When we sit down with open Bibles and open hearts, we will behold the glory of the Lord.
When we daily spend time in the Word, our lives will be transformed for God’s glory.
In an age of selfies, did you ever notice that the way you appear in the mirror is actually a little better than how you look on camera? Am I the only one who is not photogenic? Apparently, it is a true phenomenon. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, it’s actually a reversed image. Unless we have perfectly symmetrical faces, we will look different in photos because it is capturing us as we look to the world, not a mirror image.
In ancient times, mirrors did not have the clarity that we enjoy today. They gave a cloudy, fuzzy, somewhat distorted reflection. The Apostle Paul was telling us in our passage earlier on that we can see the glory of the Lord, but we can’t see it perfectly yet.
In this passage, the mirror isn’t necessarily showing us what we are, but what we will become. What we will become is based on how we see God. If we have false ideas about who God is, our picture of Him will be false as well. This is why it is sooo important to "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). How do we become prepared? By spending time with God in the Word.
How we see God is how we will mirror Him back to those we come in contact with. Just like the phenomenon of the mirror image I described above, we need to show the world the “reversed image” of God’s work in us, not the “camera view” of a life that has not been transformed.
But, if we see God as someone who doesn’t care about our prayers, we will mirror that attitude to others. If we see God as someone we can’t trust, then we will mirror a lack of trust in the Lord to others. If we see God as someone who can’t help us with our troubles, then we will mirror worry to those around us. These negative “images” will not at all reflect God’s glory to the world, but a less than flattering “non-mirrored” image of God, which is just a reflection of our distorted views of Him.
As believers in Jesus, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to do the following: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:4-9). These verses right here encapsulate what it means to behold the glory of the Lord, to put our belief in His glory into practice, living a transformed life for God’s glory.
When we see God as Someone we can “Trust with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding” Proverbs 3:5 (modified), we will mirror to the world a transformed life that brings God glory.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Ben-Schonewille
Karen Del Tatto is a blogger, author, women's ministry leader, pastor's wife, mom, and grandmother who is passionate about the Word of God. Her blog Growing Together in Grace and Knowledge and her books Choosing to Trust God: Breaking the Habit of Worry, A 30-Day Devotional and Choosing to Trust God Companion Journal reveal her heart for providing Biblical insights to encourage women to grow in and through their struggles while equipping them to overcome. Karen and her husband live in Rhode Island and enjoy walks in the woods, owling, and spending time with their grandchildren.