Today’s Passage: “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 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 Corinthians 3:2-3
This passage is so dear to me. Paul pours out his feelings for the church at Corinth because of their examples to the community. I wonder sometimes what sort of epistle I am since I am “known and read by everybody”. Am I a letter of love and faithfulness, encouragement and joy? Do I reflect a genuine love and concern for those around me? This passage reminds me of our recent study of Jesus’ statement that we are to be lights of the world. Similarly, we as Christian women are open letters to the people we encounter in our daily lives.
When met with an impossible deadline, do we fly off the handle or respond with apparent stress, or do we pause, say a quick prayer to the Lord and then face our struggles with the realization that we will do our best and have faith that He will handle the rest? If a family member or friend says something that is hurtful, do we react in quick anger or do we give them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps we misunderstood?
I am sorry to say that a calm and courageous demeanor is not always my response to a sudden pitfall in the road. I tend to react quickly and then must apologize for my hastiness if it was not the proper response. If I fail to respond positively to an unexpected situation, the problem can quickly grow into a devastating setback.
God does not want us to carry around the burdens of fear, anxiety, anger or hopelessness. He wants us to be letters from the heart and soul of Jesus Christ; he desires that we portray calmness when the world might fall apart. Several passages in the Bible serve to instill the peace and comfort that can only come from God and to put others at ease as we put into practice these valuable attributes.
In Psalm 94:19, the psalmist writes, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”
“So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless,” writes Solomon in Ecclesiastes 11:10. What is meaningful instead? “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: ‘Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man’.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
The Lord wants us to seek His comfort and cast off worry as we read in Matthew 6:25-34:“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Additionally, Paul wrote to Timothy, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” I Timothy 1:7.
As a final example, Peter teaches us to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” I Peter 5:7
So what kind of letter am I in the world? Am I a letter of peace and joy or one of anxiety and fear? Will my fellow coworkers and friends want to follow Christ because of the letter written on my heart? Do I reflect to others that I have given my fears to the Lord because His shoulders are much broader than mine or have I chosen by my actions that I don’t have enough faith in God to take care of my worries?
Let us open our letters of joy and gladness today and bring peace to everyone around us through the peace that we have first received from the Lord. May God bless each and every one of you as you seek to follow Him!
