In Exodus chapter 35 we read that after Moses spoke with the LORD, his face would become luminous; so much so that the people were afraid to come near him. He began to wear a veil when he had finished speaking with God, and took it off when he returned to speak to God. He took the veil off for God, and put it on for the people.

In 2 Corinthians 3:13, the Apostle Paul writes that we are,

…unlike Moses, [who] put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

That is, the sacrificial system of the Law was to be done away with at the coming crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

Undoubtedly, there are some profound theological points to be gained from that passage, but for the purpose of this devotion it got me to thinking. The Israelites may have seen the luminous face of Moses only a few times; after that he began to wear a veil. Not to impugn nor question the faithfulness of Moses, but theoretically, his face could have stopped glowing and the people may never have known it, for they saw only his veiled face. Potentially, he could have stopped his conversations with God, but still walked among the people wearing the veil.

I wonder if there are times – perhaps even presently – that we substitute a veil for an intimate relationship with God when we are among others. Maybe we rely upon insights and experience gained from former fellowship with Christ as evidence for our faith instead of fresh illumination from His Spirit that comes from a daily, closer walk with Him.

During the Exodus in the wilderness, manna had to be gathered daily for nutrition. Leftover manna would breed worms and stink. Others may see our veil and think that we are as spiritually healthy as we were in the past, but God and our own souls know the truth of the matter. Good nutrition and exercise help a little, but our countenance is best brightened by communion with Christ. Maybe it is time to take off the veil and to spend some quality time with the Lord so that we can return with a glowing face to share His goodness with others.

What separates Biblical Christianity from every other spiritual or moral pursuit is just that: the pursuit. The Bible teaches that there is no one who does good, nor is it possible to be good enough to obtain the favor of God. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that even our righteousnesses are as a menstruous cloth.

Still, it seems to be our human nature to want to earn recognition, appreciation, and even love. We want to be appreciated and loved for who we are or what we’ve done. However the Scriptures declare that God demonstrates His love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

The unchanging God has loved us from eternity past (Jer. 31:3). He loves us because of Who He is, not because of anything that we do or are – besides simply being His. He makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:45). He is forever perfect. There is nothing that we can do get Him to love us more.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that we can please Him by having the faith to believe that He exists and that He rewards them who diligently seek Him. Making effort to seek Him out is considerably different than working to earn His love. They may outwardly look the same, with activities such as prayer and Bible reading, but each has a completely different focus. Seeking Him is born out of the wonder of His love and grace, desiring to know Him more and more. Working to earn His love is self-focused; ever-aware of our own desires and discomfort.

Working to earn His favor is to ignore His grace and to miss out on the transforming freedom that can be ours in Christ. Shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid! For those that are saved by His grace, God has prepared good works beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10) – opportunities of His design to work with Him; not prerequisites for earning His acceptance.

You can stop striving to earn God’s affection. He is always loving you. May the knowledge of His grace inspire you to know Him more and to introduce others to Him.

“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” - Luke 7:41-43

While Jesus sat for a meal at the home of Simon, a Pharisee, a woman came to Him. She began to wash His feet with her tears, and wipe them with her hair. She also kissed His feet and anointed them with fragrant oil. She loved much, because she was forgiven much.

I offer this question: Do you think that this woman was a worse sinner than Simon, the Pharisee? James reminds us that if we have broken even one of God’s commandments (and we all have broken several), we are guilty of all (James 2:10). I suspect that she loved much because she recognized the extent of her sin, and repented of it. We cannot recognize forgiveness for sin that we do not acknowledge. We cannot receive forgiveness for the sin that we do not repent of.

If our love for the Lord is not effusive like that of this woman, and we are not demonstrating our thankfulness by giving precious things, perhaps it is because we have not experienced the same level of forgiveness. If we are in denial about our sin, then we can’t recognize forgiveness for it. If we are still holding onto a pet sin, then we won’t receive forgiveness for it. Maybe it’s time to take inventory of our moral failures and repent of them. We just might enjoy the same overflow of joy and thanksgiving to Jesus that this woman did.

Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, ” ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. - Mathew 19:16-22

The response of the rich young man (”Which ones?”) indicates that he already had a problem with one or more of the commandments. Jesus goes easy on him at first, omitting “You shall not covet” (Ex. 20:17) from the second table of the ten commandments - which the rich man undoubtedly did not keep.

In response to the young man’s boasting (”All these things I have kept from my youth.”), our Lord turns to the real obstacle found in the first table of the ten commandments: You shall have no other gods before Me (Ex. 20:3).

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Unfortunately, the young man put his wealth before the Lord, and walked away sad. Rather than possessing wealth, the riches possessed him.

Are there things that the Lord asks of us that we are ready to ignore or rationalize away? Do we dismiss the promptings of God that are counter-intuitive to our understanding of spirituality (”Not so, Lord.” [Acts 10:13,14])? If we are like the rich young ruler more ready to ask “Which ones?” than to say “Here am I” (Is. 6:8), perhaps we are seeking eternal life instead of the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Maybe we are seeking Christian character rather than seeking Christ Himself.

When we refer to a time when someone was or is at their peak performance, a time better for them than other times, or when everything seems to be going their way, we attribute ownership of a day to that person. We say things like, “In her day,” “In my day,” or even “This is your day.” We set aside days like Father’s Day and Mother’s Day to honor and give deference to certain people.

The Bible has much to say about The Day of the Lord. Although God is always in control, there is a designated time in the future when things will really be going His way, and that Day, the Scripture tells us will be a time of judgment. In Isaiah 13:9, we read,

Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it.

2 Peter 3:10 tells us that

…the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

When God has His day, worldly things will meet their demise. This should tell us a great deal about His holiness. “Be holy as I am holy,” the Lord says. In this age of His grace, we would do best to pursue holiness now. Surely, sin will be present with us while we inhabit these mortal bodies, but we should endeavor, as Romans 8:13 admonishes us, to through the Sprit, put to death the deeds of the flesh.