We Cannot Truly Shine Bright Apart From Reflecting The One True Light
/An early morning drive by the light of a full moon gave me a visual reminder of this Biblical Truth.
Reflecting His Glory. His. Not ours. Not the world’s. The Glory is His and His alone. Not until we realize and walk in that Truth, will we truly be able to reflect and live out that Truth. Reflecting His Glory is a concept so contrary to the ways of the world that it clashes with the “rays” of the world.
We all long to shine bright, right? Make a difference? Be the change?
Truth is: we can’t, we never have, and we never will...apart from Him.
What is manmade or manufactured will malfunction. Artificial light will always dim and eventually burn out. You can change bulbs or batteries in an effort to keep things bright, but eventually anything in and of this world will lose its light, will cease to shine, will grow dark.
But the SUN is always shining, whether we see it or not. It will not lose its light, cease to shine, or grow dark. And the SON is our source of LIGHT and LIFE as well. He defeated spiritual darkness by defeating death, and He was and is and forever will be the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
Because He is the source of LIFE and the source of LIGHT, things that truly make a difference, things of eternal significance, do not happen apart from Him.
The Old Testament begins this way:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” ~ Genesis 1:1-3 ESV
The New Testament continues with the Gospel of John beginning this way:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ~ John 1:1-5 ESV
We shine brightest by reflecting His light. A full moon has no light source of its own, but it can light up a night sky simply by being FULL and reflecting the light of the sun.
When we are FULLY following Christ, empty of ourselves and FULL of Him, we can light up the darkest places simply by reflecting His light.
{side note: a cloudy night can dim that light...sin, doubt, and fear can hinder and dim our reflection of His Glory.}
When it comes to Bible translations, I like to say, “I grew up on NIV, raised my boys with NLT, and now I read the ESV.” So, when I study any passage of scripture, I usually start by reading it in those three translations first.
This morning’s moonlit drive had me thinking about 2 Corinthians 3:18. While in the vehicle, I couldn’t remember the reference, but I remembered the words, and I looked it up in those three translations as soon as I got home.
“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
“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.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV
Similarities that stood out at me:
Those in Christ are no longer in darkness. We have the light of Christ. Our faces have been unveiled. His Spirit in us is what transforms us into His image, and it is an ongoing process as we mature in our faith.
Differences (although the same) that stood out to me:
The words each translation uses to explain the “reflecting His light” (glory) process...
NIV — contemplate the Lord’s glory
NLT — can see and reflect the glory of the Lord
ESV — beholding the glory of the Lord
We must “contemplate” it (seek wisdom and understanding), “reflect” it (seek to show it to a watching world), and “behold” it (seek to not just see with our eyes but take it into our hearts — hold Him near as we are held by Him).
I'm praying 2 Corinthians 3:18 over myself and my family today and would love for you to join me as I pray...
Father, thank you for removing the veil so that we may contemplate, see, and reflect your glory every single day. Thank you for transforming our lives and making us more like you as we seek to honor you in all we do. Father, would you lead us down paths and into places that need the light of your glory to be reflected in us and revealed through your Holy Spirit? Remove anything that would dim that light (sin, doubt, or fear). We want to fully reflect your glory as we fully submit to your authority. In the transforming name of Jesus, Amen
We cannot truly shine bright apart from reflecting The One True Light.