In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, Paul and Timothy wrote to the church of God that was at Corinth:
You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
What a powerful way of thinking about a Christian’s transformation and influence! The Spirit inscribes the will of the living God on our hearts so that, as we are being transformed by the gospel, we might function as “a letter from Christ” that can be read by anyone.
“Dear world, this is life the way I meant it to be…”
“Dear image-bearer, this is what your Creator desires to do in and for you…”
“Dear broken, do you see how I can pick up the pieces and reshape anyone for their good and my glory?”
“Dear lost, look at the difference hope set on things above can make…”
“Dear deceived, notice how you can be washed, sanctified, and justified in my name by my Spirit…”
“Dear prodigal, if your Father was willing to graciously welcome this wanderer home…”
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Cor 3:5). Disciples of Jesus get no more credit for the good news in the “letter” than ink gets for being applied to paper.
But what a privilege and responsibility to serve as living letters from Jesus, drawing attention to the transforming power of our Father in heaven! May we serve as clear communications from our Savior to a world in need of saving today.