From my files...

Paul begins II Corinthians 3 speaking of the fact that he and his fellow workers were well known to the Corinthian brethren. Other than his time in Ephesus and his earliest ministry in Cilicia, Paul spent more time in Corinth than in any other mission point during his ministry.

In verse 2, Paul says that the Corinthian Christians "are our epistle (letter) written in our hearts, known and read by all men." In other words, the actions of the Christian community at Corinth were a testimony to Paul's witness and word among them. In verse 3, Paul further states that "clearly you are an epistle of Christ." Not only did the Corinthians manner of life reflect the touch of Paul's pastoral hand, their lives shone with the very radiance of the personage of Jesus.

It might be good to think of each new day as a blank page of letterhead in a typewriter. With each thought, action and word, we type a few words upon the page. What we type reflects what has influenced us. Does our letter shine with the words and message of Jesus or does it contain things more fitting the prince of darkness than the Prince of Peace? Once the ink is applied to the page, it is difficult to remove the stain. Liquid Paper, White Out or a blotter may be used to erase the words, but the page will never look perfect again. Similarly, we who are in Christ have the ability to have our mistakes (sins) blotted out and covered over, but our lives are still impacted by their consequences. We may change our heart, but spiritual scar tissue remains. Thankfully, God has better vision than we do. When He divinely intercedes and removes the words of hurt, hate or hostility from our story, we are in essence given a fresh sheet of paper and told to start again. Though we often fall short, God's love never fails to cleanse the canvas of our lives and make us new.

If a person "read" your life, who do you suppose it would be a letter from? Would it be a "living epistle" of Christ or more like a nasty note from Satan?

Praying that we all become more Christ-filled and Christ-like as we live our lives from day to day so that our living letter reflects the love of Jesus to everyone we meet.

We are God's lips, hands, and feet

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world."

-Mother Teresa

Wouldn't it be great if we all viewed our lives in this way?  If we viewed our lives as an instrument of  communication from God to our fellowmen?  We must, of course, realize that we are but a small part of God's message to mankind, but that we still are a significant part of that message.  As the old song says, "We are the only Bible the careless world may read..."  Let us be sure that today and everyday that we are sending out a message that causes people to desire what we have: a relationship with the Father.  Let us let people see our good works, not for our own glory, but to cause them to seek the the One to whom our lives are dedicated.  Let us learn that every erring word, every falsehood, every misspoken phrase is something that has the potential to hinder a fellow sojourner in his or her walk with God.  If we realize this, we will be far more careful with the precious words we speak to others.

"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, THIS is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Transcendentalist essayist and Unitarian minister