As I pondered this prompt, I remembered the idiom, “Beauty is in the
eye of the beholder.” I discovered an interesting Biblical word study related to the word, “beholding”
in 2 Corinthians 3:18:
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.—2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB
And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit.—2 Corinthians 3:18 JB
One translation says,
beholding as in a mirror another says, reflecting like mirrors. The
verb katoptrizo can be translated either “reflecting” or “beholding"
“with unveiled face, beholding” (RSV)
“beholding as in a glass” (KJV)
“reflecting like mirrors” (JB)
“be mirrors that brightly reflect” (TLB)
“we . . all reflect the Lord’s glory” (NIV)
It seems the Holy Spirit intentionally selected a verb that would remind
us to do both—beholding our Lord Jesus Christ so intently that we can’t help
but reflect Him.
To behold your face in a mirror is to study, to stare, to contemplate. Jesus
is the source; we are the glass. Jesus is the light; we are the mirrors. Jesus sends the message; we mirror it.
“As He is, so are we in this world”...as we behold Jesus, we are unconscious
of the change in us, we are reflecting His beauty, His love for us.
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.—1 John 4:16-18
Let the King be enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord.—Psalm 45:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.—Ecclesiastes 3:11
Christian Singer/Songwriter Ginny Owens has expressed my heart in
these lyrics from her song, “Call Me Beautiful” "You call me beautiful...You call me beautiful...And say You've loved me all along...And You've always held the keys to unlock my soul...Oh, You call me beautiful."
In what ways are you reflecting Who you are beholding? As Jesus is, so
are you in this world…you’re beautiful…just as you are!
Beth,
ReplyDeleteI love this. We behold Jesus so intently that we just reflect Him! So true. And we are intentional about it, we have joy in our hearts, we want to show His love. I also love the paragraph after that, "To behold your face in a mirror..." I just love to read His word, to study it, to dig deeper in it, then I begin to live it.
Beatriz, I so agree with you! Thanks so much for stopping by...many blessings to you ❤️
DeleteThis is beautiful! I love the reminder that we are a reflection of His beauty! Thanks for all the Scripture as well! We are neighbors over at Holley's today! Glad we can pour out a little Coffee for Your Heart together!
ReplyDeleteKarrilee, thank you so much for letting me know you were encouraged by my post! It really helps me to remember that I'm just the mirror reflecting Him. I am so enjoying being a part of the Coffee For Your Heart group...it is encouraging me to write more :)
DeleteBeatriz, thank you so much for sharing your heart with me about this post! It is my prayer that others are encouraged by the Truth I receive from our Lord Jesus Christ, as I try to "reflect" it in my writing...many blessings to you <3
ReplyDeleteBeth- I'm printing this off to read and read until I've GOT this ~!
ReplyDeleteThanks- it's such a struggle to believe this truth.
Why?
It's hard to fathom- I will have some dialogue with Abba Father as I meditate upon these verses.
God Bless you Beth.
You are such a wonderful blessing in my life- and I thank GOD for BEAUTIFUL YOU.
Thank you, Mary, I thank God for beautiful you every day, you are such a wonderful encourager to so many! Just this morning, as I was reflecting on 2 Cor. 3:18 once again, I felt my Abba Daddy's arms wrapping around me, reminding me that when He looks at me it is through the precious Blood of His Son, He sees me outside of the limits of time and space...without age, without sin, blameless because of the perfect work of Jesus on the Cross, complete, and He says as He welcomes me into Heaven, "Well done, My good and faithful servant"...all because of Christ...truly amazing grace...all is grace...many blessings to you, Mary.
ReplyDelete