Reading through Paul’s
letters to the Romans and Corinthians is always amazing. Romans is far and away one of my favorite
books in all the Bible. At the end of
the day, though, it’s always amazing to note Paul’s conversion and turnaround
from being chief persecutor of the church, to the most powerful example of
God’s grace and love, and a crucial instrument to write about those from the
deepest personal experience there may be of such matters.
This week’s reading took me
through 1 Corinthians 15 – 16, 2 Corinthians 1 – 13, and Romans 1 – 10. One section I highlighted but really didn’t
think twice about until just now is in 2 Corinthians 3, particularly verses 1 –
3 …
Are we once again bragging
about ourselves? Do we need letters to
you or from you to tell others about us? Some people do need letters that tell about
them. But you are our letter, and you
are in our hearts for everyone to read and understand. You are like a letter written by Christ
and delivered by us. But you are not
written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of
the living God.
Leading up to this passage
exiting chapter 2, Paul is noting to the church at Corinth the reward of
relying on God to help him deliver God’s message … that God leads the way for
Paul’s ministry to succeed in reaching the recipients of Paul’s message for
Christ. He talks about how some
preachers use their ministry to gain personal wealth. Paul’s point here is that he didn’t need
accolades, rewards, wealth or anything to demonstrate the fruit of his
labor. The church was his proof, his
reward, his badge of honor, his accomplishment.
How does this relate to
us? The “letter” Paul refers to could be
considered like something of a letter of recommendation or a letter or commendation
… both concepts with which we today are familiar. While each differs somewhat in terms of its
intent and its content, both have similarities and cool applicability for us.
Consider a letter of
recommendation … according to a definition on Wikipedia, it “is one in which
the writer assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the
person being recommended in terms of that individual’s ability to perform a
particular task or function.” So, a
letter of recommendation provides validation of someone’s fit for a purpose
based on historical direct observation and experience.
A letter of commendation
deals with “presenting, mentioning, or praising as worthy of confidence,
notice, kindness, etc.,” and “to cite or name with approval or special
praise.” In a similar way, commendation
has to do with recognition of exemplary achievement.
In either case, personal
experience and observation corroborates the distinction.
Paul seems to be admonishing
us through his reflection that our motives in relationship and ministry must
not be external in orientation. In other
words, our goal in these respects shouldn’t be focused on recognition,
notoriety, financial reward, status, wealth or fame. The “letter” he refers to is essentially the
acknowledgement of their success … that “letter” is the church to which he was
ministering, with whom he’d had fellowship and relationship. Same with us … the people we serve, minister
to, relate with, do life with, they are the reward for our labor and devotion
in sharing God’s love. They are the
embodiment of an eternal orientation … a storing up treasures in heaven, as it
were.
Thus we have our marching
orders so to speak. God made us
relational beings and for reasons only He knows has entrusted to us the ability
to pass along his message of mercy, forgiveness and grace. He expects us to be His hands and feet in
serving His people and His creation.
When He looks at the collective body of evidence that accounts for our
impact in this world, I suspect He is going to look at the people we’ve
blessed, touched, helped, loved, and reached for Him. Hence … as Paul talked about … our “letter.”
Let’s devote ourselves in
prayer this week to aligning our hearts to the heart of Jesus … to looking out
for His people in the way He would want us to.
Not because of outward recognition or reward, but for the intrinsic compensation
that comes from the effect on the people we touch. Let their faith, their love, their longevity
and effectiveness in ministry be our report card. Let’s ask God to constantly check us by His
Holy Spirit, and to adjust our attitudes and motives to heavenly-minded ones
rather than earthly-minded.
In the strong love of JESUS
CHRIST, Savior of the world,
MR
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