Reflect

In Living Beyond Yourself, Beth Moore writes,

Gold is not "finished" until it reaches a point of perfect luster. The chief objective of the refiner is to bring the gold to a point of greatest reflection. The gold is not as costly for its own sake as it is for the sake of that which it reflects. It is the light which exposes its qualities. LBD pg 116

She unpacked a few scriptures which God really spoke to my heart through, a few of which I will pinpoint below.

"But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. " Job 23:8-12

"He has tested me and I will come forth as GOLD." Those are Job's words after losing his children, his servants, his livestock, his wealth, his physical health.

"I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread." Wow! That's powerful! Job certainly glorified God in the trials of life. (On a side note this verse has REALLY spoken to me in regards to weight surrender issues... Treasuring God's word is KEY!)

"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." 2 Corinthians 3:18

We are called to REFLECT God's glory. And the neat thing is we have "unveiled" faces. Through Jesus' death on the cross the veil has been removed. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). That's an amazing truth!

Exodus 34:29-35 describes how Moses had such a radiant face after being in the Lord's presence that he would actually have to put a veil over his face! We are being granted the same privilege! We get to be in God's very presence, with unveiled faces it says in 2 Cor. 3:18. As we spend time fixing our eyes on Him, keeping our mind stayed on Him, simply sitting at His feet and feasting at His table, presenting our prayers and petitions with thanksgiving to Him...we are in the very PRESENCE of God! And we can't help but be TRANSFORMED when we remain in His presence! And we will certainly REFLECT His glory!

As I type this up, I'm being reminded of my favorite childhood verse (I still don't know why this one resonated with me throughout those early years)...

"Those who look to him are RADIANT; their faces are never covered with shame." Psalm 34:5

When I come into His presence I can't help but be purified of sin. I don't think I could come into His presence with a truly rebellious heart. As I come humbly, in prayer, seeking His face and turning from my wicked ways, He hears my prayer, he forgives my sin and heals (2 Chron. 7:14) ...and my face is no longer covered with shame because He has forgiven me!

My main struggles in life are the "mundane" aspects. I simply need sinful impurities to be removed from my heart - my impatience with my kids, my lack of selflessness with my husband, my laziness, my lack of time in prayer, my lack of self-discipline with eating/exercise which happens time and again, my lack of focussing on things from above, my forgetting to be thankful and prayerful, having a loose tongue at times.... I want to STAY in His presence and have these impurities melted away. I want to come forth like gold, REFLECTING His glory!

So, I choose to fix my eyes on Him. I choose to keep my mind stayed on Him. I lay my requests before Him and wait in expectation. I passionately persist...

So that I may REFLECT!