Wednesday, 2nd October

READING

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

MEDITATION

Letter writing is truly a lost art – a vintage skill, if you will. Letters used to be a staple of communication. Sending news, keeping war-separated lovers connected or a way to make a friend halfway around the world. Letters recorded our thoughts, our history. But in our text-crazy world of emails, SMS, Whatsap, twitter and so forth, is there still a place for the humble letter?

It helps me appreciate even more the apostle Paul’s words that those who follow Jesus are “a letter from Christ,” (not an email or SMS!) who were “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor. 3:3).

In response to false teachers who wanted to discredit his message (see 2 Cor. 11), Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to keep on following the true and living God as he had previously taught. In doing so, he memorably described the believers as Christ’s letter, with their transformed lives a more powerful witness to the Spirit working through Paul’s ministry than any written letter could be.

How wonderful that God’s Spirit in us writes a story of grace and redemption! For as meaningful as written words can be, it is our lives that are the best witness to the truth of the gospel, for they speak volumes through our compassion, service, gratitude, and joy. We are Jesus’ letters of recommendation known and read by people. Someone said there are five gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke John and the Gospel according to “YOU”. We may be the only Bible some people will ever read.

The question is: What do people learn of Jesus Christ by reading our lives? Can they see that we are a letter from Christ?

PRAYER

Lord God, write the story of my life so that I might reflect Your love and goodness to those I encounter today.

PRAYER POINTS FOR WEDNESDAY

• Help us not to resist your work and your will in our lives by insisting on writing our “own letters”.
• Help us to allow the Holy Spirit to write the life of Christ in our lives.
• Help your people here at CCB to be living letters from Christ to each other and the community all around us.
• Help us to be letters of your grace to the world.
• May your grace in our lives speak volumes through the compassion, service, gratitude and joy in our lives.