Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Sunday, September 3, 2017
Listen to “Thoughts in Worship 09.03.2017” on Spreaker.
This is devotional thought number 72 in our devotional series, “Essentials of Faith.” Our subject is: What Should I Do With Doubt?
Here’s the question for consideration: What can insulate me from losing focus?
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Get a Good Look
Behold! I love that word. It means to look with deep contemplation and reflection. To behold is not to glance or cast an accidental peek.
One of the reasons people lose faith in God is that we have not learned to behold Him. Our theme text, along with the preceding verses, underscores that we become most like what we behold. We are transformed into the likeness of that thing, principle, or person.
Do not miss this. Some of your relationships are a mess because you choose to focus on the less than desirable traits of the other person’s character. Some of you say bad words because you entertain yourselves with programming where the characters curse. Conversely, some of you are successful because you behold successful people and have adopted their mindsets. Some of you are very loving because you behold love.
See the Resemblance
The simple message for today is if you wish to be insulated against losing your way, spiritually, behold King Jesus. This means we should all invest quality time reading about His life on earth in the first four books of the New Testament. We should invest quality time asking Him what He would have us do on a daily basis. We should surround ourselves with inspiring music, people, entertainment, and reading.
The more we do this, will be the more we become like Him. If we allow His mindset to become our mindset, we will be so transformed by the Holy Spirit that people will notice our resemblance to the One we behold the most. And having that recognition, they will glorify Him after whose image our new characters have been formed.
