Christ's Letter

"Clearly you are a letter of Christ... 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




Throughout the Bible, God's word reads like a love story written from a loving Father to the children He is passionate about and adores. The storyline is simple in that what God wants is a loving relationship with the people He created. Over and over, God pursues His children and repeatedly tries to make them understand just how much He loves them and desires to dwell with them.

In the Old Testament, after God fulfilled His promises to the Israelites by freeing them from the oppression and slavery in Egypt, He "adopted" them at Mount Sinai as His special treasure. et, God had even more for them than that. He then went on to fulfill the remainder of His promises to them by coming into the camp of Israel to dwell among them (Exodus, Ch. 25-40).

Dwelling with His people was the ultimate privilege for them but it also brought with it great responsibility. When God summoned Moses to ascend Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12), He instructed Moses to write down the ten commandments on two tablets of stone, which represented a renewed covenant that God was establishing with His people (Exodus 34:28).  A cloud of glory rested on that mountain as God gave Moses an intimate, personal glimpse of Himself. This provided Moses with a new vision of the presence and glory of God which would allow him to fulfill his purpose and destiny.

As magnificent as the old covenant was or God's people, it still had limitations. It provided boundaries and protection for God's people but it did not have the power to change their hearts. The Old Testament prophets looked forward to the day when the law of God would be written in the hearts of man (Jeremiah 31:33), penned by the very hand of Jesus. Additionally, God promised to give hearts of flesh to replace their hearts of stone (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26).

The new covenant that Jesus established was far superior to the old covenant. It provides us with the terms we need to have a relationship with God. This covenant is always centered on Jesus and His work accomplished on our behalf. This powerful covenant brings with it both liberty and transformation.

A covenant is a contract that is legal and binding. The word covenant means "an arrangement made by one party with plenary power which the other party may accept or reject but cannot alter" (Moulton and Milligan). Therefore, either we come into agreement with what God has established (or we do not), but our choice can never change the contract, itself.

When we accept God's covenant for our lives, we become living epistles that point the way to Jesus. The apostle, Paul, describes our lives as letters that has been narrated and scribed by Jesus, himself. We have been given hearts of flesh and the Holy Spirit is continually providing the manuscript for us to live the life that God has designed for us.

Think about that for a moment. You are a letter that Jesus is writing for other people to read. It is not a boring letter, either! It contains a theme, a plot (conflicts or struggles), a climax, a style, a tone, a setting, and characters. There will inevitably be defeats along the way but, in the end, when we are in Christ, we will be victorious. It is impossible for Jesus to lose.

As living epistles, we know that God is writing a message for His glory. And, He does not waste a single thing either. He will take every circumstance, passion, talent, and person in our lives to reveal to us that we ae under the redemptive power of His Lordship.

When we allow the fullness of Christ to dwell within us (Ephesians 4:13), it becomes all about His life in us. This gives the Holy Spirit free reign to write the manuscript of His choosing. This will inevitably be a witness for Christ in a message written for His glory.

Have you thought about the letter Jesus is writing about your life? Have you identified the theme, or plot, or climax? Are you allowing others to read what Jesus is writing?

Do you see yourself and your life in the same way that God does? Or are you too busy doing your own thing? Think about Jacob. After a lifetime of scheming and conniving, he knew that he did not want a life devoid of God's blessings. God literally showed up for Jacob and started a wrestling match with him. Then He asked Jacob, "'What is your name?' To that, he responded, "'Jacob'". His name literally meant "supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler". Yet, that is not what God saw when he looked at Jacob. God said, "'Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed'" (Genesis 32:27-28).

After that, God commanded the blessing on Jacob's life. It was when Jacob finally surrendered to God that he became strong. G. Campbell Morgan called Jacob's experience "the crippling that crowns". He also interpreted the name Israel to mean "a God-mastered man". For some of us there is a wrestling that must occur in order for us to fully submit to the calling God has placed on our lives.

When God does rule our lives, He can trust us with His power. Only those who are under His authority have the right to exercise His authority. When it is God that we truly serve, we become a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

Jacob lost the battle but he won the war. The same is true for you and I. There are times when God will allow our weaknesses, struggles, and mistakes to be front and center in our lives. He will, however, transform them into strengths by His power.

Life is messy and so are our stories (the letter Christ is writing about you and me). When we live in light of the facts that we are loved, accepted, and given a new name, the details of our stories will make more sense. It's not about living a perfect life; it's about living in relationship with Him and becoming a Living Letter that He has penned!


                      "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
                                                               John Piper