Veiled?

Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face!  They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. 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. - 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

Verse 16 and verses 12 and 13 above it in this chapter of 2 Corinthians 3 refers to Moses wearing a veil to conceal that the glory of the Lord which shown upon his face after his mountainous encounter with God was fading away.  He didn't want those who were following him to see that it was passing.  When Moses first came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two tablets his face was radiant and Aaron and all the Israelites were afraid to get close to him.  Then he put a veil over his face.  But every time he went to speak with God he removed it, would come out skin a glowing, tell them what God commanded, then veil his face again. (Exodus 34)

Here we are told that we are able to be face-to-face with the living God.  There is nothing that separates us from God.  Nothing!  The only thing that can cause separation is our own determination to not accept His Word, His Son, or His Spirit in some aspect of our lives ... or at all.

Since I accept the Word literally, I have to believe it when it says that Moses, a man, being in close proximity to God left a mark.  In this case, the mark was a radiance or glow upon his face that was noticeable and visible to others.  The personal application of this is humbling.  "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."  Can anyone notice or even see my God in me?  Does my life radiate or glow from His close presence to my life? 

We are, unfortunately, way too good at veiling our bad qualities, our humanness, to others.  Everyone has a veil on I'm afraid.  But here Moses was veiling the radiance of God upon him so people wouldn't be afraid.  Or was it so people wouldn't doubt in him as the radiance diminished?  I do that.  Those days or weeks when I just am not feeling close to God, I veil myself.  I think everyone does.  No one wants others to know they aren't close to God. ... What is that goes before destruction?  Oh yeah, it is pride.  Yet we naturally move to it.  Just another reason for close accountability to others.

Yet, nothing separates me from Him except me.  Obviously, I've got work to do to remove me.  "Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of His face."  What part of me do I have veiled?  What part of me am I unwilling to reveal to God?

This aspect of Him within us is the exact opposite of the model I recently finished.  We spent all this time being careful to glue everything in its position and paint everything is detail on the inside for the cockpit and crew quarters only to cover it up with the outside of the airplane.  No one will ever see how well it is done.  Once we realized it would be covered and never seen, we were kind of burned out to finish the outside and it doesn't look as good. 

Here we see that God puts Himself on our inside and seeks to dwell closely with us.  When He does, it radiates out to our outside.  It is not hidden and never seen but instead is noticed by all we are in contact.  Our closeness to God is evidenced in who we are, how we act, where we go, and what we do.  If God is our Lord we must be dominated.  And this is the submission and service we can only hope to reach.