From Glory to Glory
Daily Scripture
2 Corinthians 3:16-18
But whenever someone turns back to the Lord, the veil is removed. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Think of what a mirror actually shows you: not a finished portrait, but exactly where you are right now, this morning, unfinished and all. Paul reached for that image on purpose. He didn’t say believers are transformed in one flash of light. He said we go “from one degree of glory to the next,” a phrase that only makes sense if the process has stages, plural, stretched out over time.
It can be discouraging if you’re comparing yourself to who you hoped you’d be by now. But Paul paints a different picture of growth—steady, gradual, one step at a time. There is no hidden fast track other people found and you missed. There’s only the next step, whatever it looks like for you this week—not the whole journey at once.
- Where have you assumed, without ever quite saying it out loud, that you should already be further along than you are, whether in patience, in prayer, or in some old habit you thought you’d have beaten by now? What would it mean to trade that assumption for Paul’s picture of gradual, ongoing transformation?
- Who in your life seems to be at a different “degree of glory” than you, further ahead or further behind? How does it change the way you treat them to remember that everyone, including you, is mid-process rather than finished?
Prayer
Merciful God, I confess I often want the finished version of myself before I’m willing to trust your gradual work. Thank you for meeting me one degree at a time rather than demanding I arrive all at once. Keep transforming me, however gradually, into the likeness of Christ. Amen.
GPS Insights
Gwyn Thomas
I know I’m not alone in this, but I often wish I were further along in my Bible studies than I am. I learned all of the really “big” stories when I was young: Noah’s ark, Ruth, Jesus, the disciples. You may recognize those yourself! But most Sundays, I am so proud of our church for this, we explore Scripture with depth. I hear names that I recognize but am not entirely familiar with. Even now, I’m embarrassed to tell you which names, and I recognize the shame that comes with that feeling. Especially being married to a pastor, you might assume we’ve got it all figured out when it comes to the Bible.
And, to add to my embarrassment, my husband is one of the most well-read people I know. He always has his nose in a book, craving more knowledge. I am much more of a talker, which is why group settings are important for me in my faith formation and spiritual growth. I desire to grow deeper in my understanding of the Bible. I know that I don’t have to know everything today. I just have to keep taking the next step.
Maybe you resonate with this little confession of mine. If you do, I wonder what your next step might be? I ask that question genuinely, because I’d love for you to share it with me, and maybe we can learn from each other.
For me, my next step was getting back into the rhythm of a small group after taking a break while we kept two little babies alive and healthy. Now they are big enough for evening childcare, and I am so excited to have meaningful conversations about the Bible again!
It’s never too late to begin again in your faith. It’s okay to be honest with yourself and others and say, “I have more to learn.” Maybe that’s not something to be embarrassed about. Maybe it’s an invitation to keep moving from one degree of glory to the next.
If this is your God nudge today, here’s a link to explore opportunities to take your next step in discipleship: https://resurrection.church/discipleship/
