LIVING LETTERS OF CHRIST
As I journey through the maze of this life, I am continually awed, and humbled as I witness the mighty works of my heavenly daddy as He orchestrates the victory over the events I have, andam currently being exposed to, and I want to share them with you. As I am maturing in the knowledge of my Lord and Master teacher Jesus, and I am a handicapped legally blind 90 year plus old disciple of His, I hear His voice speaking to me through the voices of many of His anointed messengers. Following is a good example. It is derived from one of two daily thoughts for meditation I receive via e-mail that inspire me to pass the message it contains on to you, and this one is from Bob Hoekstra of the Blue Letter Bible Ministry. The apostle Paul penned in hisletter to the church at Corinth the following, and I reiterate his message: You are manifestly an epistle 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) This is a truth that we must acknowledge, and accept the responsibilities by being prepared that it may require of us to confront counterfeit fraudulent or erroneous religious teaching about God and Jesus. It is a significant characteristic resulting from our living by faith is that we become living letters of Christ. "You are manifestly an epistle of His. The Lord wants to turn our lives into a "walking and talking letter of Him." He wants to make us a living explanation of who He is and all the blessings He offers. What a great privilege and challenge this presents as we go about our daily responsibilities; unfortunately many of our brothers and sisters live their lives void of the true knowledge of our Lord, but they are, witnesses of our lives, and while they are observing us, they can actually be learning of the truth and love of our Lord Jesus, as He is working in and through us. Although this may sound like too much to hope for, the Lord declares in His word that this process can become very clear to those who are watching us: "You are manifestly[thatis, "plainly recognized as"] an epistle of Christ." Remember, this is what is availablefor "ministers [servants] of the new covenant" which He has ordained all of us to be. (2 Corinthians 3:6). This is what happens in those who live by faith in Jesus and by the grace of God. This is something that God does in us, not something we manufacture for Him. Certainly, people are involved in the process. We become fully engaged by humbly and dependently seeking that elusive knowledge of Jesus who wants to work in us. Others also get involved by ministering to us. Paul writing to the church of Corinth is applicable today when he penned, "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ”. As God’s word informs us that He had Paul minister His truth to these saints at Corinth, and that these living letters of Christ were not being written by ink, as ordinary letters would be, but God views them the same today as a divine forever living unction unto you as, “We are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by the Holy Spirit, written not with ink but by the Spirit of our living God." God's Holy Spirit continues at work writing on our hearts those letters that as our lives will be transformed to reflect His Glory, we truly become living epistles of Jesus. Notice where the Lord was inscribing these living letters: "not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." The old covenant message of law was written on stones. The new covenant message of grace is written on the hearts of all who walk in humble dependence upon God. This heavenly work changes us from the inside out, making us living letters of Christ! Dear God of all grace, I humbly admit that I need to be more and more changed into a living letter of Christ. So often, those who read me see only me. I ask You in faith to inscribe the character of Christ upon my heart, that others may see Him in my daily walk, Amen.
As I journey through the maze of this life, I am continually awed, and humbled as I witness the mighty works of my heavenly daddy as He orchestrates the victory over the events I have, andam currently being exposed to, and I want to share them with you. As I am maturing in the knowledge of my Lord and Master teacher Jesus, and I am a handicapped legally blind 90 year plus old disciple of His, I hear His voice speaking to me through the voices of many of His anointed messengers. Following is a good example. It is derived from one of two daily thoughts for meditation I receive via e-mail that inspire me to pass the message it contains on to you, and this one is from Bob Hoekstra of the Blue Letter Bible Ministry. The apostle Paul penned in hisletter to the church at Corinth the following, and I reiterate his message: You are manifestly an epistle 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) This is a truth that we must acknowledge, and accept the responsibilities by being prepared that it may require of us to confront counterfeit fraudulent or erroneous religious teaching about God and Jesus. It is a significant characteristic resulting from our living by faith is that we become living letters of Christ. "You are manifestly an epistle of His. The Lord wants to turn our lives into a "walking and talking letter of Him." He wants to make us a living explanation of who He is and all the blessings He offers. What a great privilege and challenge this presents as we go about our daily responsibilities; unfortunately many of our brothers and sisters live their lives void of the true knowledge of our Lord, but they are, witnesses of our lives, and while they are observing us, they can actually be learning of the truth and love of our Lord Jesus, as He is working in and through us. Although this may sound like too much to hope for, the Lord declares in His word that this process can become very clear to those who are watching us: "You are manifestly[thatis, "plainly recognized as"] an epistle of Christ." Remember, this is what is availablefor "ministers [servants] of the new covenant" which He has ordained all of us to be. (2 Corinthians 3:6). This is what happens in those who live by faith in Jesus and by the grace of God. This is something that God does in us, not something we manufacture for Him. Certainly, people are involved in the process. We become fully engaged by humbly and dependently seeking that elusive knowledge of Jesus who wants to work in us. Others also get involved by ministering to us. Paul writing to the church of Corinth is applicable today when he penned, "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ”. As God’s word informs us that He had Paul minister His truth to these saints at Corinth, and that these living letters of Christ were not being written by ink, as ordinary letters would be, but God views them the same today as a divine forever living unction unto you as, “We are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by the Holy Spirit, written not with ink but by the Spirit of our living God." God's Holy Spirit continues at work writing on our hearts those letters that as our lives will be transformed to reflect His Glory, we truly become living epistles of Jesus. Notice where the Lord was inscribing these living letters: "not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." The old covenant message of law was written on stones. The new covenant message of grace is written on the hearts of all who walk in humble dependence upon God. This heavenly work changes us from the inside out, making us living letters of Christ! Dear God of all grace, I humbly admit that I need to be more and more changed into a living letter of Christ. So often, those who read me see only me. I ask You in faith to inscribe the character of Christ upon my heart, that others may see Him in my daily walk, Amen.
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