The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:17-18

The Message translation reads, “And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” I like the imagery of this version, but the power of the Word, regardless of the translation, is not lost.

I took a walk the other day and as I walked, I was listening to music written by classical composers who credited God with their inspiration and sought to glorify Him in their music. The weather was lovely, with a cloudless sky, and a coolness to the air that invigorated. The greenway ran alongside a man-made stream. As I walked, I thought about Jesus and the Cross. Without prelude, the war that rages within me between love of self and the world and love of God became as the sky. Without hesitation, my soul responded, "I choose God”. I looked up, and I saw, perched above me, an owl. I stopped to take a picture. He looked around, perhaps at me for a moment, and then flew away under the cover of the branches. I knew God was speaking to me. I felt a surge of emotion, maybe joy and excitement; I am not sure. But what I do know is that I knew that it is in the Presence of the Glory of God, I am truly me! So what do I say to this? It is my prayer that the musings of my heart and these reflections on the goodness of God reflect His goodness! And one day I will be like Him!