The Glory of Christ in Us

“[Moses] said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’ Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.’ … ‘So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen’” (Exodus 33:18-19, 22-23).

The Holy Spirit took Moses, a servant of God who was wholly surrendered to his will, and drew him to a mountaintop to speak to him face to face. When Moses descended from the mountain to address the children of Israel, his face so reflected the glory of the Lord that it glowed. “When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him” (Exodus 34:30). Paul describes it this way: “The children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance” (2 Corinthians 3:7).

The glory on the face of Moses faded after a while because it was only a type of the spiritual glory to come. And what happened to Moses is not to be compared with what the Holy Spirit wants to do today. “For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious” (2 Corinthians 3:9-11). In other words, if the fading glory in the face of Moses had such convicting power, how much more will the present glory of Christ in his servants be a testimony — by the Spirit — to convict and convince.

There is a glory which will never fade available today to servants of Christ —so lift your head to him and receive this abiding presence of the Lord.