“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38

Those who trust in Christ Jesus believe His words. They do not pick and choose, nor do they twist or explain away Jesus’ words and teaching. They accept His teaching on all things – even where it is contrary to contemporary public opinion. In fact, Jesus warns that, if we are ashamed of Him and His words in this present adulterous and sinful generation, He will be ashamed of us at His coming.

Do we live in an adulterous and sinful generation? Without a doubt! Even “Christians” and “churches” adulterate Jesus’ words and teaching to fit their opinions and lifestyles and to be more acceptable to this world.

And what do Jesus and His words entail? He said marriage is between one man and one woman, citing Genesis 2 (Matthew 19:3-9). He condemned adultery, pornography and divorce (Matthew 5:27-32). He was there in Genesis 18, talking with Abraham about God’s judgment upon the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. He is the one who forms and gives life in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16 and John 1:1-4). Jesus called God His Father and not His mother or some neuter-generic name.

Jesus also taught that He is the only way to the Father, that apart from faith in Him as the eternal Son of God and Savior we will die in our sins and be condemned to hell (John 14:6; 3:14-36; 8:24).

Are we ashamed of Jesus and His words? Do we shrink back from confessing Jesus as our God and Savior in the present adulterous and sinful generation? Do we pick and choose or twist His words to make our beliefs and teaching more palatable to those around us? Do we use our own limited reason to explain away what we don’t understand or what does not fit our modern worldview? Do we trust in our own works and lives rather than repenting of the sin and evil in our lives and looking to Jesus and His cross as our sole source of salvation?

Consider Jesus’ warning: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Dearest Jesus, forgive me for failing to confess You and Your words without shame before this adulterous and sinful generation. Grant that I hold fast to You in faith and boldly proclaim Your name. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

“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 Corinthians 3:18 (Read v. 7-18)

Does your face shine? Does it, like the face of Moses, reflect the glory of the LORD God? But, does it diminish as did the face of Moses after he had talked to the LORD and shared the words of the LORD with the people, or is it growing in brightness? Are you reflecting more and more of the Lord’s glory every day?

When Moses entered into the presence of the LORD God, his face shone with the glory of God; but after sharing God’s Word with the people, Moses put a veil over his face so the people would not see that glory fading away. But he removed the veil when he went back into the presence of the LORD and again reflected God’s glory for a time as he shared God’s Word with the people (cf. Exodus 34:29-35; Mark 9:2-10).

The apostle Paul tells us that veil remains over the heart of the unbelieving Jews to this day. When they hear the law of God read and proclaimed, they see its glory but they do not see that glory fade away because of man’s sinfulness and inability to keep God’s commandments. And with that veil over their face, they fail to see a greater and more glorious covenant established by the holy life and innocent sufferings and death of Christ Jesus in our stead. With the veil over their eyes, they do not see the fading glory of God’s law or their need for a Savior from sin and eternal death.

But when we, by the grace of God, come to Christ and place our faith and hope in Him and His atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, the veil is lifted from our eyes. Instead of attempting to be righteous in God’s eyes by the keeping of the law, we acknowledge our failures to keep that law and look to the holy life and innocent sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus Christ in our stead. We recognize that Jesus has fulfilled God’s laws for us and that He paid in full for all our sins when He died upon the cross and rose again (cf. 1 John 2:1-2; Romans 10:4).

Those with the veil over their face may try their best to keep God’s law and measure up to His glory; but no matter how hard they try, they fail and come short (cf. Rom. 3:23). But those of us who place our hope in the redemption accomplished by Christ Jesus (cf. Romans 3:24-26) are counted righteous and holy for Jesus’ sake and are being changed by the sanctifying work of God’s Spirit into the image of Christ.

The closer we draw to our Savior, the more the Spirit is able to transform us into the image of Christ. And, of course, that sanctifying work will finally be completed in us when we are raised up on the last day in a perfect and glorified body like our Lord Jesus (cf. Romans 8:28-30; 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:49ff.; Philippians 3:20-21).

Dear Lord Jesus, as we see You through Your Word and behold Your glory, change us more and more into Your image until that day when we are changed and raised up without sin to be like You. We ask this for the sake of the redemption You accomplished for all when You suffered and died upon the cross and rose again. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

“But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” Exodus 34:34-35 (Read v. 29-35)

When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with God’s commandments, he didn’t realize that his face shown with God’s glory because he had been in the presence of the LORD God. Because of it, the people were afraid to come near him.

Moses wore a veil over his face so that the people could not see the glory fading away (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:13). He took off the veil when he went in before the LORD in the tabernacle of meeting. He came out and told the people the words of the LORD and then covered his face with the veil until he next went in before the LORD.

As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the same veil yet remained and prevented the people of Israel from seeing that the glory of the Old Covenant was fading away because its purpose was to point people to Christ and the New Covenant instituted by Messiah Jesus when He shed His blood on the cross and made atonement for the sins of all people (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8-9). It is only when people come to faith in Christ that the veil is lifted and people come to see the Old Covenant in its proper light – not as a way of salvation but pointing to Christ Jesus and the salvation He provided by His atoning sacrifice!

Today, too, people fail to see the fading glory of the Old Covenant and wish to use the New Covenant only as a patch on the Old. They miss out on the glories of the New Covenant and fail to take hold of the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting which are ours through faith in Christ Jesus and His blood shed for us upon the cross.

Does the veil still cover your eyes? Are you looking to your own works and obedience under the law for your salvation? Or has the veil been removed? Do you see your sins and failures under the law and look in faith to Christ Jesus and His perfect obedience and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the sins of the world as the basis of your salvation?

O glorious Savior, open my eyes to see my sins and shortcomings under the law and grant that I believe the gospel and place my faith alone in You and Your sacrifice upon the cross for the sins of the world. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

“Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?” Isaiah 40:27

Sometimes it may seem that God does not know the troubles we face in life, that our problems are hidden from the LORD God and His help and strength are not near. But that could not be further from the truth.

Our God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He formed each of us in the womb and gave us life (cf. Psalm 139:13-16). He paid attention to the tiniest of details and yet He is the almighty and all-knowing God.

Verse 26 reminds us of God’s creative power: “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”

Is there any problem or trouble too great for the LORD God who created and keeps the stars to remedy?

His Word also asks us in verses 28: “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.”

He certainly is not asleep and oblivious to our prayers! He is not weary from all his work or too weak to hear and intervene for us. And His knowledge and understanding are so great we cannot begin to search out, understand and know His thoughts toward us.

Consider the words of Psalm 139:1-6: “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

And, while it may sometimes appear that God does not know our troubles or hear our prayers, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” (Isaiah 40:29).

Verses 30-31 assure us: “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Is our way hidden from the Lord? Has He skipped over our case and neglected judgment in our need? Never! He knows all and gives to all of us who trust in Him help and strength to rise above our troubles and keep our eyes focused on Him! He assures that, for the sake of Christ Jesus and His cross, He forgives our sins and accepts us as His children; and He promises us: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5; cf. Ephesians 1:3ff.).

For Jesus’ sake, we have the assurance that we can go to Him in prayer with our needs and He will hear and answer our prayers in accord with His perfect will (cf. 1 John 5:14-16; Matthew 7:7-11).

O gracious and merciful God, we thank You for watching over us and keeping us in all our ways. Grant us help and strength to hold fast to You in faith until you take us to our eternal home in heaven for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.]