Gospel (open statement of the truth) +
veiled conscience (by Satan) + those who are perishing
= opportunity for God to
shine His light!
= seeing the light in our hearts = knowledge of God =
in the Face of Christ!
Within the gospel is a glory which lights the eyes of the
mind to see something it cannot see without the gospel’s truth. Satan makes it
difficult for minds to come in contact with the glory of the gospel; he works
to blind minds keeping them in unbelief and from seeing God’s glory in
Jesus; the result is perishing of souls.
Knowledge of Christ is essential to enlightening the heart by its truth
and grace for belief. As light is to the eyes so is knowledge to the mind. So
as God spoke “let there be light” on that first day, so He speaks by the gospel
to bring light to the mind illuminating it by the glory of the revelation of
Jesus Christ! It is like being born again.
It is also having a mental picture of the face of Christ
burned into our memory. When you look into someone’s face somehow their eyes
making contact with someone else’s eyes has a powerful effect; it is as if you
look INTO that person and as if they are looking INTO you. If you are guilty
you look away. If you have shame, you look away. If you aren’t (guilty or
ashamed) you may have been trained by guilt and shame to automatically do so and
you look away. The light of the face of Christ is so good and pure and filled
with love you cannot look away—He won’t let you! And as the tears come and roll
away as we stare at His glorious face so goes the shame and the guilt so we can
be free—freed to be glorious reflections of His mercy and His glory wash to others. And when
we have been washed we can shine, like Moses who didn’t know about the Son-tan
he had gotten while being in the presence of God for forty days (can someone
say, “No SPF for that”?).
Focusing on God changes our minds—it changes our brains!
When our brains change, so does the
rest of us. When things are lined up and health is happening good things take
place in our body and in the surrounding areas—our homes, our workplace, our
community, our church. Like the crippled man whose legs were straightened when
Peter and John grabbed him and pulled him up in Jesus’ name--there is an
adjustment to the grace of God, but there is also the glorying in it—the
dancing, and leaping, and praising God that comes after! The glory of God will
never be fully understood, but as we explore what God has given we are transformed in the journey, in the
seeking, in the drawing closer to Him!
“God has shone in our hearts to the give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God…” how? What is this knowledge (the
gospel of Christ?) of the glory of God in the face of Christ? What exposure do
we have to the face of Christ to see God’s glory upon it? Is this mystical?
What does it mean that God has shone in our hearts to give us the light? Is
this one and the same? What do we come to know about God’s glory and what is
communicated in the face of Christ? Is it as simple as the Gospel about Jesus
and the grace extended though it?
In the movie, Enchanted, Princess Giselle wants to be found by her prince, who in fact is looking for her and states quite frequently that she is his heart’s desire; they both are dreaming of true love’s kiss.
There has been a heart’s desire of mine I have been searching for several years now and recently learned that all this time it is the glory of God. In my deepest heart of hearts I desire to not only bring God glory, but to be His glory and to experience the glory of God “that shines in the face of Christ” in my deepest being. It has been those times in my life when this experience has been such a part of me that I have felt the most shalom ever.
Along the journey I apparently lost this desire, but in subsequent years realized something was missing. In my search, and in the study of what the following pages hold, I rediscovered my heart’s desire and was able to put it into words: the glory of God.