Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord." Exodus 34:29-35
Moses spent an additional 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai as God reissued instructions to him on two new stone tablets while renewing His covenant with the Israelites. You’ll recall that the last time Moses returned off the mountain, he encountered the sinful behavior of the Israelites as they were worshipping a false god in the form of a golden calf. Incensed by their actions, Moses smashed the original stone tablets on the ground and derided the people before judgment came upon those who decided to not be for God.
But that was then and today’s scripture paints a different picture as Moses descends for a second time. We read where his face, once filled with anger, was now "radiant because he had spoken with the Lord." And although Moses "was not aware" of it, others were quickly noticed it as he approached Aaron and the Israelites. Their response was one of fear and "they were afraid to come near him" but "Moses called to them" and "Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him" so he could speak to them. Moses told the people of Israel "all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai" and, after finishing, "put a veil over his face."
From that point on, Moses would wear the veil until which time he went into the Lord's presence to speak with him. And we read that each time that Moses emerged from meeting with God, his face would once again be radiant as he told the Israelites what he had been commanded." Then, once he had finished, Moses once again covered his face with the veil until he would see the Lord again.
This passage shows us the awesome impact that God has on any believer who would so choose to believe, obey and trust Him. Truly, when anyone is fully committed to living every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day for the Lord, then they can’t help but reflect His radiance onto others.
Question: How deep is your commitment and relationship with the Lord? Are you so saturated by His Spirit that it beams from within you toward others around you?
Consider these words of our Savior, Jesus, during His Sermon on the Mount:
"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
You can’t let your light shine if you don’t have the light within you. Through our faith and trust in the Lord, we receive His Spirit which resides within our hearts. When we are fully in communion with the Spirit, the power of that communion radiates all around us. Others can’t help but notice.
Point in case. Several weeks ago, I was blessed with the privilege to sing a solo at my church. I selected the song, "Your Grace Still Amazes Me’ by Phillips, Craig and Dean, an incredible song about the wonder of God’s mercy and love for us, even though we are sinners. It truly is an amazing grace that brings us to our knees in praise and worship unto Him.
Well, as I sang this song as I do when I sing any song, I opened my soul up to the words and the music and let the Spirit do the singing through me (I use the same process when I write). Through this process, it never ceases to amaze me how many people will come up to me and say how they were incredibly blessed by the song sang or devotion written. It’s a powerful testimony to the strength of the Spirit working through us when we are fully open to letting Him do so. Or in other words, His radiance radiates from you to others and they, in turn, are blessed.
There are several other references to receiving radiance from the Lord in the scriptures.
In the Psalms, we read where radiance was received from God’s instruction. Consider these words from the 19th Psalm:
"The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." Psalm 19:8
When we know and trust in God’s guidance to us and then respond to that guidance with willing obedience, we live our lives in the righteousness he expects…His radiant commands fill our eyes with His holy light.
The bible also tells us that we receive radiance when we look to God. This is similar to the radiance that Moses experienced. Here are words from the 34th Psalm:
"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." Psalm 34:4-5
When we persistently look toward God, we will find ourselves radiant because we are looking into the One who defines Radiance. And with the forgiveness and mercy He brings to us through His love for us, we need not be ashamed for He and He alone is able to cast our sins into the mighty sea of forgetfulness.
Question: Do you not desire this Holy Radiance in your own life? Do you not desire to bask in the glow of the Lord?
Well, you can easily begin to do just that right now. Turn and look to Him each and every day…enter into full communion with His Spirit…seek His commands for your life…and you will find yourself reflecting His awesome, beautiful light onto all that you see. Indeed, Jesus said, "Let your light shine"…not just any light but The Light that only comes from the One who has proclaimed that He is the Light as well as the Truth and the Life. (John 14:16) Thanks be to God for His radiance…the radiance that shone through Him to Moses…and the radiance that flows to us today from Him through His Son, Jesus…the Son we praise and walk alongside with this Holy Week. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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