By Beholding

The power of the devotional life is that we become like Jesus as we spend time with Jesus. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We become like that which we behold. If we behold the glory of the Lord—His character—we will be “transformed into the same image.”

To behold, however, requires more than a passing glance. Hurried prayers and a rushed reading of the Bible, performed merely as a task on our to-do list, will fall short of producing the transformation that comes by beholding. The purpose of our devotional life is not merely to satisfy a requirement of God, or to learn interesting stories in the Bible. Rather, the purpose is to change our hearts and lives so that our character reflects the character of Jesus. We need more than information; we need transformation!