You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not
with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of
human hearts (2 Cor.3:3).
These words were written nearly 2000 years
ago as a letter to the church at Corinth. They have since become part of the greatest
written letter that we have ever known--the Bible. The Bible is a treasure chest for those
who will open it up to discover what's inside. It is a letter from the Living God to His
children to help them to handle life from day to day, to give them direction in a world
that has lost its way and to instruct them in righteousness while they live surrounded by
evil. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that "All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God,
and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness." The scripture is God's love letter to us, given to encourage, edify,
strengthen, lead and instruct. And as great as that letter is, no grander a letter is
there than the living letters that are still being written today.
It has been said, "I would rather see a sermon, than to hear one
anytime." It has also been said that "We may be the only Bible many people ever
read." Many groups have been formed to take Bibles to all the world. Groups such as
the Gideons have been quite successful in getting Bibles to many people. Just count up how
many times you have seen a Bible "Placed here by the Gideons" in a hotel room
somewhere. Now consider the number of letters written "on tablets of human
hearts." How many walking testaments of our Lord are there who have been
"written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God?"
Compare the number of times you have seen a Gideon Bible with the number of
times you have seen the walking testaments. Which number is the greater?
We are to be God's love letter to the world. If we allow Him to use us as
such, we as God's letters will be scattered across the face of the earth--a feat the
Gideons would applaud. No shipping or handling fees. No fund raisers to buy more Bibles to
ship. Instead the letters of God would be placed by the One who wrote them and in such a
way that would impact the world in one massive sweep.
Open up the Bible and what do you see? You will see Words written through men
by the Spirit of God to lead, instruct and strengthen. They are Words that are set apart
from any other words in any other book. They are Words that draw attention to the God who
brought them to be. If we then are God's letters to this world, should we be any less?
Shouldn't we be seen as ones who know the Way, and therefore draw others to follow?
Shouldn't we also be ones who can demonstrate the use of sound wisdom within the
foolishness of this world, or be the ones who can encourage, strengthen and edify those
around us? Shouldn't we be set apart and different from others? And shouldn't we, as God's
letters, draw attention to the God who brought us to be?
If we are letters to those around us, what kind of letters are we? Are we
love letters from a Gracious God, written to draw people to Him? Or are we letters so
filled with stories about personal desires and achievements that all anyone who reads us
will ever see is us?
Who's letter are you? As people read you
today, who do they see? If they see only you how will they ever see God and how will they
ever be drawn to Him and find Life everlasting?
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