You Are a Letter

“Clearly you are an episstle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is,  of the heart.” 2 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV)

In our day, we say  letters instead of epistles, although the length of some letters may derisively earn them the  name of epistles.  The business letter is still a part of the corporate world, but not many people write friendly letters anymore. The handwritten letter on fine stationery has gone out of style. People hardly ever  write   “thank you” notes nowadays. We live in a practical age, one without frills.  But letters, especially  handwritten ones from friends and relatives,  are treasures.  Not long ago while searching in a drawer for a specific item,  I came across a letter from a friend who passed away a few years ago.  I read the letter,  remembering her and her lovely ways,  relishing once more  its informative,  spirited, and spiritual tone.

Poet Emily Dickinson considered her book of poetry  her “letter to the world” and begged those who  read it to “judge tenderly of me.” As our focus text states,  the apostle Paul told the members  in the church at  Corinth that they were epistles,  letters written by Christ on the fleshy tablets of their hearts. This message was a pointed one for the believers then and is applicable to us today as well.  There is so much that Christ wants to communicate through us to those who do not know Him well.  He wants to write on our hearts His love,  joy, peace, and patience–indeed every good  virtue— so that others will receive  a strong, uplifting  message from Him when they communicate with us.

As one of Christ’s letters to the world, you know what comes next, don’t you? People are  reading us  all the time.  Emily Dickinson asked the world to judge “tenderly” as they read her work. We can’t make any such plea in today’s world, with its cynicism and unbelief.  We face close reading of our lives  from those with whom we interact each day. Whatever we do, we must  give them  good material to read: that which is true, pure,  honest, lovely, and of good report ( Philippians 4:8).

Let us make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit to  place  on the pages of our  heart  Christ’s handwritten manuscript,  publishing  the story of His love to the world  around  us.

Always,

Judith

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“Letters are among the most significant 
memorials a person can leave behind them.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe