Bulletin Article from 10-15-06 (Aron)
REFLECTIONS
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Paul certainly wrote some beautiful word pictures when he wrote those words.... freedom wherever the Spirit of the Lord is........unveiled faces all reflecting the glory of the Lord......... being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
These words are words that it would be good for all of us to study and ponder and then ask ourselves some questions. Questions such as , Am I truly free and joyful in the Lord or am I held back by tradition and legalism? Is my face truly unveiled and does it reflect the glory of the Lord? Am I being transformed daily into the likeness of Christ?
Our very humanness will almost guarantee that if we are brutally honest with ourselves, the answers to those questions are “yes” sometimes and “no” sometimes.
If I do things over and over without a thought as to why I am doing them, I am tied to tradition.. If I try to bend people to my spiritual will, I am a legalist by any stretch of the imagination. If I am speaking words of hurt, contempt, or anger, I am not reflecting the glory of the Lord. If I am ignoring the needs that I see in a hurting humanity, I am not being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
On the other hand ,if I study, pray, and am open to the leadership of the Spirit I am truly free. If I am a good listener and can put myself in the place of another, I am free to share the love that is the Lord. If I am speaking words of encouragement, hope, and love, I am speaking the words of the Lord and glorifying His name. If I see a need and fill it, unconditionally, I am walking in the footsteps of the Lord.
The perfection that is the Lord is indescribable but as we journey toward eternity, the words we say, the acts we do, the love we show, the joy that we spread, and the hope that is ours are what the Spirit uses to transform us into the image of Christ. | 
