Matt Calderon – A BloG

Just read 28 pages tonight of the The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by Comer and spent some time with the Lord. In the prologue I like how he writes about attending meetings and how he hates meetings. He states that how most millennials, he gets bored way to easily. Comer highlights how we are running fast at every thing life has to offer in trade of being present. Page 28 asks the question, “that an overbusy, digitally distracted life of speed is the greatest threat to spiritual life that we face in the modern world?” I want to spend the next few lines highlighting this part.

Self awareness has always been a struggle for me. In reading this I find that I’m not present with God enough to heal my heart of loneliness and I’d rather heal in a hurry by filling it with porn/lust/sexual desires. I would have never been made ‘aware’ of this fact even though I knew of this disparity already. What I am saying is, I’m convinced that God can heal me in rest, by reading this book. What I am convicted of is this shying away from his longing for me. What I am encouraged of is that in the midst of my car being down and snow on the streets, although I spent the first part of this weekend stuck in sin, I found myself with too much time on my hands and an opportunity to sit here and just wait on the Lord and rest in Him and actually Sabbath and spend time with Him that I come to this revelation. That’s powerful.

A shalom exists. Shalom can refer to a peace, a wholeness, a completeness, and welfare. That brings me encouragement and a strategy to continue. In my word I found this scripture in II Corinthians 3:7-18:

‘7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate#3:18 Or reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’

I love that the Holy Spirit highlighted this verse to me because there is beauty in what was transitory or temporary, in other words fading away. Paul gives an example of Moses seeing God and coming down the mountain glowing that the people of Israel had to cover their eyes. But then Paul highlights a greater glory, one that isn’t fading away but one that is in eternity. He says that everyone is veiled at this beauty that lasts forever but when we turn to the Lord the veil is taken away.

Paul creates a call to action to ‘turn’ to the Lord in the same way Comer says we are living a ‘distracted life’. There is a battle between flesh and spirit in me. One that calls out to turn from sin towards Jesus. The other to be distracted and shy away from God.

But there’s good news. Paul continues to say that when those who turn and look to the Lord the veil is taken away. What do they see? They see Jesus right? Paul continues by saying where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. What is there freedom to do? Paul writes that there is a time to contemplate or reflect the Lord’s glory. This is amazing because Comer describes that by staying busy, God’s love, peace and joy cannot coexist. Well how do we even know what true love, true peace, and true joy even looks like apart from God? You can’t. The good news is that rather than allowing our mind and our soul to create a solution that leads to a never ending chase of hurry, Paul instructs us to first turn to the Lord, second to look with unveiled eyes at Christ, and lastly to contemplate of the glory of the Father which to Moses was shown a light so bright that he was glowing.

Lastly Paul states that when this light, this glory, is shined upon us we reflect or contemplate his image. That means I get a clear image of peace, a clear image of joy, a clear image of love. Where my mind was filled with false images of love I get this renewed image of love that God has been waiting to reveal to me. As hard as it seems to read my word and ‘find time’ in a world full of distractions to meet with God, when I turn, and commit my heart to these steps Paul writes, I get a refreshing image of glory.

That is my prize in this blog post today. I hope this encourages you. If you need prayer please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and like the post header above, shalom my friends.