You’ve Got To “Write…”
[No] you yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in your hearts, to be known (perceived, recognized) and read by everybody. You show and make obvious that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, not written with ink but with [the] Spirit of living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:2-3 AMPC).
Some Bible translators felt that Paul couldn’t have written on the hearts of others, and therefore, they assumed he meant, “We carry the thoughts of you in our hearts.” But the next verse contradicts this. It says, “You’re the epistle of Christ ministered by us.” What does this mean, and how does this work? Now, it’s not enough for it to be written in your heart. As you study this devotional, for example, the Word is being ministered to you, but not all that’s contained in the Gospel is coming to you right now.
Moreover, think about the fact that Peter too ministered the Gospel and wrote letters to the churches, but he didn’t come with all of the truth of the Gospel. Paul was given a dispensation of it to bring to the Church, but it’s the same Gospel. Peter brings the generality of the Gospel, and Paul brings the specific, intricate, analytical details of the Gospel; how the Church should run. He wrote about the structure of the Church, and the new creation in Christ; he wrote those revelations in “letters”—epistles to the churches.
Now, there’s the Word of God ministered to you (the letter), which you’ve received to become the “epistle of Christ,” but that may not be sufficient for the life that God wants you to live. So, what are you going to do? You’ve got to “write” your own truth as inspired by the Word. Read the concluding part of our theme verse again; it shows the result of the ministry of the Word that came to you. The Word of faith has been ministered to you; you’ve become a bearer or messenger of that same word; you believe it, you’re talking it, but that’s not enough, because what you have is what has been ministered to you. There’re some others that you have to “write” or draft for yourself.
The one you heard preached or taught was written to you, or written into you—into the tablet of your heart. But when you’re done with that, like when you’re done studying today’s devotional, what are you going to write? That’s what really transforms your life and sustains you on the glory highway. We’ll learn more and review how this works in our next study.
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for your Word that has come into my heart today, resulting in positive transformation and promotion, causing me to walk in glory and soar on the wings of your Spirit, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 8:10
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Luke 12:22-48; Judges 9
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Romans 9:1-13; Psalm 116-117
