“But whenever anyone
turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away…and we, who with unveiled faces all
reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with
ever-increasing glory…”—2 Corinthians 3:16, 18
Not one of the Bible's promises has ever failed. Such great news. And since Jesus
promised He would return to gather His kids with Him forever and ever, the Master’s alert of
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” may be one of the most important approaches we can take to the
start of each new day. Especially in these days of turmoil and evil on every side, and in just about every corner of the world.
But what? Quit your job and go on retreat until That Day?
Better to be found faithful where He has planted us, reflecting Him until
the very end.
Because one of the most thunderous statements of the New
Testament parables is this:
Right where we are, in the midst of 9-5. Or after-hours. Or
weekends.
So, a better self-probing question to ask at the start of each day "in the midst" might be: "What
have you been reflecting lately?" This is not a trick quiz. We know the answer. We just need an every-five-minutes reminder to change the channel to:
Whatever is honorable
Whatever is just
Whatever is pure
Whatever is lovely
Whatever is commendable,
If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of
praise,
Think about these things."
And whatever isn’t, don’t.
Even if these aren’t the very last of the last
days, the clarion call to faithfulness remains. And the call is a reminder that whenever we step out "in the midst," our face
reflects that which we’ve been gazing at and thinking about—and that dwelling
on the goodness and love of God and His Word will transform us (whether we realize
it or not) so that our face can become the gate through which our mouth has a
reason to speak to someone along our path of the Hope that's within and for all.
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