Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: Judges 1-3
     New Testament Reading: 2 Corinthians 3

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are Christ’s letter, delivered by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God – not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God (2 Corinthians 3: 2-5).

In the first century, itinerant evangelists would often travel with letters of endorsement and recommendation. This functioned as a seal of approval upon their ministry. But Paul says his credentials are different. Paul needed no credentials from church leaders; his life and ministry were the only recommendations needed. The ministry of grace changes the heart. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God and writes it on the heart.

The Corinthians were wicked sinners when Paul came to them, but his ministry of the Gospel of God’s grace completely changed their lives. The transformed lives of the Corinthians were Paul’s most eloquent testimonial, better than any secondhand letter. Their changed lives were like an open letter that could be seen and read by all men as a testimony to Paul’s faithfulness and the truth of his message.

Transformed Christians are letters from God, written by the Holy Spirit not on stone tablets but on the human heart. The Corinthian Believers were lovingly written on Paul’s heart, and the Spirit of God had written the truth on their hearts, making them living letters of Christ.

Paul was quick to give the glory to God and not to himself. Paul was a brilliant and well-educated man. He could have taken great pride in his accomplishments, but instead, he threw away his achievements; he did not depend on his own adequacy. His confidence was in God and his sufficiency came from God. Paul depended on the Lord and humbly followed Him.

So often we work overtime to get people to notice us, to show them how adequate we are, how competent, how gifted, how important. But they don’t have to see us. What’s important is that they only see Him, and our impressive qualifications and accomplishments only obscure the view. No one is sufficient of himself to minister to the hearts of people. That sufficiency can only come from God.