"Brief Devotions For Busy Lives" by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson: 1 Corinthians 13:12-13

May 27

"For now, we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (NET)

Corinth was well known in the ancient world for producing some of the finest bronze mirrors available. Paul's point in this analogy then is not that our current understanding and relationship with God is distorted, but rather that it is “indirect,” like looking in a mirror. This action is contrasted to the relationship we will enjoy with him in the future when we see him “face to face”. The word “indirectly” translates the Greek phrase ejn ainigmati indicating “in an obscure image”. This is also an allusion to Numbers 12:8 where God says he spoke to Moses “mouth to mouth" or literally "face to face" and not in dark figures of speech. It is in this context that Paul also invokes the use of the mirror analogy to explain the secrets of the Christian's progressive transformation by the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3:17 when he writes, "And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit."(NET)

God's amazing love is directed outward to others, not just inward to ourselves. Divine love is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this kind of love unless God helps us set aside our own natural instincts so that we can love but not expect anything in return. Thus, the more we become like Christ, the more love we can show to others. How do you become more like Christ? Paul tells us it is by looking at our reflections in God's mirror. As we see what his perfect image is for us, we will gradually be transformed into what our Lord intended us to be when he first formed us!

Prayer: Lord, Thank you for your perfect mirror. Amen. 

 Meditation For The Day: You are made in God's image!

Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Spring Renewal Paperback – February 21, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author)