Verse: 2 Corinthians 3:1-3
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 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.
Thoughts
People are questioning Paul's authority as an apostle. The point he is making here is that if anyone wants a "letter of recommendation" (he is saying this facetiously) all they have to do is look at the lives of the Corinthians. The way that they are living their faith is a "letter from Christ" showing Paul's ministry to be true.
In the same way, our lives can be a letter to the world around us. When people wonder whether the message of the gospel is true and authentic, we can be the letter of recommendation about Christianity. We have the word written on "human hearts" in a way that touches people's lives and draws them to Jesus.
Over and over again Jesus talks about how we live our lives being a "light" to the world who is in darkness. Our actions, our words, and how we treat others don't happen in a vacuum. They are being watched by the people around us who know we follow Jesus. So our lives are like a letter written by Jesus to them. The more they see us following Jesus, the more they have to deal with God trying to get their attention.
So how are we living our lives? What kind of letter are we? What can we do to make our lives share the message of hope, grace, and love to the world around us who needs Jesus?
Prayer
I pray that I would be a light to the world around me. Help me to shine your light, to live as a letter from you to the world!