Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: Today's Passage

2 Corinthians 3:12-14

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.

The "hope" Paul mentioned here is the hope that we will no longer be condemned under the law, but to have freedom in Christ. It's the hope that we may come before God without any fear, enter His glory and enjoy His presence. Back in the Old Testament time, the veil was the hindrance of sin that prevented people from seeing the glory of God. In the New Testament time, the veil has been removed in Christ; however, to the Israelites back then, their dull minds have become the veil that prevented them from receiving the salvation of Jesus Christ. In our lives, do we also have veils that haven't been removed yet and caused us not able to enjoy the grace of God? I found in the lives of Christians, there are several kinds of veils that could become our hindrance:

First, the veil of unbelief. Real faith is more than a rational recognition of the truth, but should be the complete surrender of life. We often like to sing "God, your way is the best way;" however, when things don't go well, do we still truly believe that God's way is better than our way? Are the single brothers and sisters willing to surrender their marriage to God? Are the working brothers and sisters will to surrender their career to God? Unbelief is often preventing us from receiving God's promises.

Second, the veil of unwilling. The biggest weakness of Christians is laziness. We have heard and understood lots of truth, but we are often not willing or interested in letting God change us. When Jesus approached the pool of Bethesda, he saw a man who's been sick for 38 years. The first thing Jesus asked him was: "Do you want to get well?" You might think that was a strange thing to ask, but anyone who lives under the same circumstance for 38 years might have gotten used to it. Everyday, someone would bring him out and some would give him money; occasionally old friends would stop by and they would chat for a while, so life actually wasn't so bad. Are we also like that? It's easy to pray "Lord, revive us and release us!" When God, however, wants us to put down our rights and step out of our comfort zone, then we become unwilling.

What is your veil, and are you willing to remove it today?

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, may your Holy Spirit come and shine on us again, and help us to see what kind of veil we have in our lives that is hindering us from becoming close to you. May your Spirit move inside us and release us, and remove our unbelief and unwillingness, so that Christ may enter our hearts and rule our lives. I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!