And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

I wish there was a transformation event. You know, a place you go for about 14 hours. At the end of a long and exhausting day, you come out bleary eyed, clothes wrinkled, hair in disarray, but you are completely transformed. Not a little transformed, just completely transformed. No more toxic thoughts, no more being prone to succumbing to temptation, complete control over your tongue. If that were actually possible I would start the first transformation event and I would charge a hefty fee because I bet people would be standing in line to get perfected.

Alas, there is no single event like that. Transformation isn’t one service, one conference, one prayer sesh (abbreviation for session cause I’m cool like that), or one worship moment. I once heard a lady say that she had heard enough sermons to last her a lifetime. The problem was based on her attitude, her commitment to Jesus, and overall spiritual health, my guess is that she needed at least one more. It’s not all of the sermons we’ve heard, it’s all of the sermons we’ve heard plus the next one that keeps us focused on Jesus, his mission, and our purpose in his plans. Transformation doesn’t happen instantly, but it does happen. Paul said it happens by going from glory to glory. In other words, transformation is a journey and not a destination. That may feel frustrating because we will never “arrive” on this journey called life. However, I do have some good news. God isn’t a going backwards kind of God. He takes us from glory to glory and may I add glory to glory to glory. God is relentlessly moving forward. Glory to glory isn’t a process of frustration of never arriving, it’s actually God’s plan for progress and abundance in your life.

Little + Little = More and More

Unveil – Paul says the veil is taken away when we turn to Christ. It’s a powerful picture of authenticity and vulnerability. So many times we hide. We hide our sin. We hide our shame. In the context of this scripture Paul is referencing those who are blinded by a veil of religion. The cure to this blindness is turning to Christ. The veil is removed. We can own our story in the light of his grace. Paul writes, “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” When we lose the veil, God’s presence comes, and we have access to grace, hope, faith, confidence, blessing, purpose, and an infinite list of God’s goodness. We can’t transform behind a veil.

Behold – Paul says what we behold is what we become. If you focus on something long enough you will start to look like what you behold. Transformation isn’t an event, it’s a focus. That’s why my lucrative dream of a high priced transformation event will sadly and unfortunately never come true. After 14 hours of transformation people would leave and ultimately slowly become what they behold. If they behold politics they would become politically driven. If they behold the world, they will slowly become like the world. That’s why, out of all of the sermons we’ve heard, the most important one is the next one. Out of all of the times we’ve spent praying, our most important prayer time is the next one. The most important church service is the one this weekend. We may not be completely changed, but little by little, we are going from glory to glory. Prayer = Progress. Church = Progress. Worship = Progress. God’s Word = Progress. And all of God’s paths drip with abundance. Little by little God is taking you into more and more.

Little + Little = More and More