DAY 3 - You Become What You Behold
DAY 3 - You Become What You Behold
READ SLOWLY
Psalm 115:4 through 8 and 2 Corinthians 3:16 through 18
On Mount Carmel the prophets of Baal danced, shouted, and cut themselves from morning until evening. There was no sound, no reply, no response. False gods always ask for more. And they never answer.
Psalm 115 describes idols with mouths that cannot speak, eyes that cannot see, and ears that cannot hear. Then it says something sobering. Those who make them will become like them.
Worship always shapes the worshiper. If approval is my god, I slowly lose my voice. I say whatever the room needs me to say. If comfort is my god, I lose my eyes. I stop seeing the people God has put in front of me. If control is my god, I lose my ears. I cannot hear anything that does not go my way.
Here is the good news Paul gives us. The same principle works in the other direction. In 2 Corinthians 3 he says that when anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And all of us, with unveiled faces, are looking at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into his image.
You become like what you behold. That is why the question of who gets the final word is never just about one decision. It is about who you are becoming. Every time you give Jesus the throne, you are being shaped into the likeness of the One who gave himself for you.
So pay attention to what you look at most. What do you reach for first in the morning? What fills the quiet minutes of your day? What do you think about when you are alone? Those are not small questions. They are forming you.
This is not about trying harder to be like Jesus. It is about spending more time looking at him. Read the Gospels. Watch how he treats people. Listen to how he talks to his Father. The Spirit does the transforming. Our part is to keep our faces turned toward him.
You become like what you behold.
ASK YOURSELF
• What am I looking at most right now?
• Which of these has been shaping me most, approval, comfort, or control?
• What has it been making me into?
• What would it look like to spend more time beholding Jesus?
YOUR NEXT STEP
Tomorrow morning, before you touch your phone, read one chapter of a Gospel. Mark is a good place to start. As you read, ask one question. What does this show me about Jesus? Write down one thing you see. Do this every morning for the rest of the week.
PRAY
Lord Jesus, I have given my attention to things that cannot speak, see, or hear, and they have been shaping me. Turn my face toward you. Let me see your glory. Holy Spirit, make me more like Jesus. Amen.
READ SLOWLY
Psalm 115:4 through 8 and 2 Corinthians 3:16 through 18
On Mount Carmel the prophets of Baal danced, shouted, and cut themselves from morning until evening. There was no sound, no reply, no response. False gods always ask for more. And they never answer.
Psalm 115 describes idols with mouths that cannot speak, eyes that cannot see, and ears that cannot hear. Then it says something sobering. Those who make them will become like them.
Worship always shapes the worshiper. If approval is my god, I slowly lose my voice. I say whatever the room needs me to say. If comfort is my god, I lose my eyes. I stop seeing the people God has put in front of me. If control is my god, I lose my ears. I cannot hear anything that does not go my way.
Here is the good news Paul gives us. The same principle works in the other direction. In 2 Corinthians 3 he says that when anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And all of us, with unveiled faces, are looking at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into his image.
You become like what you behold. That is why the question of who gets the final word is never just about one decision. It is about who you are becoming. Every time you give Jesus the throne, you are being shaped into the likeness of the One who gave himself for you.
So pay attention to what you look at most. What do you reach for first in the morning? What fills the quiet minutes of your day? What do you think about when you are alone? Those are not small questions. They are forming you.
This is not about trying harder to be like Jesus. It is about spending more time looking at him. Read the Gospels. Watch how he treats people. Listen to how he talks to his Father. The Spirit does the transforming. Our part is to keep our faces turned toward him.
You become like what you behold.
ASK YOURSELF
• What am I looking at most right now?
• Which of these has been shaping me most, approval, comfort, or control?
• What has it been making me into?
• What would it look like to spend more time beholding Jesus?
YOUR NEXT STEP
Tomorrow morning, before you touch your phone, read one chapter of a Gospel. Mark is a good place to start. As you read, ask one question. What does this show me about Jesus? Write down one thing you see. Do this every morning for the rest of the week.
PRAY
Lord Jesus, I have given my attention to things that cannot speak, see, or hear, and they have been shaping me. Turn my face toward you. Let me see your glory. Holy Spirit, make me more like Jesus. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotional