Changing As You Read

When you read, do you ever realize that you have no idea what you just read? When I was in school, I had a lot of assigned reading — usually about 150 pages a day of commentaries and other technical material. Oftentimes, I would get to the bottom of a page and think, “You know, I have not the slightest clue what was on this page!” My eyeballs went over the words on the page, but the material had no effect on me. I certainly hope that is not the case as we read the Bible. We ought to be changing as we read. When God shows us an attitude or thought or action that is wrong, we ought to ask his forgiveness immediately and begin working to do what is right.
Paul told the Corinthian church, “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 Cor 3:18). Let’s examine this verse. First, Paul speaks of an “open face,” or one that is uncovered. In the preceding verses, we learn that when unbelievers read the Word of God, it is like there is a veil or curtain over their eyes. They just cannot see why all this stuff in the Bible has any relevance to their lives. For those who have been saved, however, Paul says that the Holy Spirit removes that veil, so we read the Bible with an “open face.”
As we look into the Bible, we see as it were a reflection (“as in a glass” or mirror) of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see his glory, we see how he reacted and responded, and we see how he wants us to live. Then Paul says that as we read, we are changed into the image of Christ “from glory to glory.” This process happens as the Holy Spirit ministers the Word of God to our hearts.
As Christians, we are on a sort of “staircase” that leads to Christlikeness, and each time we read the Word of God, we should be taking another glorious step upward, becoming more like Jesus. Every message we hear, every time we have devotions, every Sunday School lesson, every youth group time ought to take us another step closer to becoming like Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, you should never leave a church service, youth group meeting, or devotion time the same as you arrived; you must be changing as you read. As we read his Word, God is changing us by his Holy Spirit into a more Christlike person for his glory.