Letters
From Heaven
…you are a letter from Christ…written
not with ink but in the Spirit of the living God...
2 Corinthians 3:3
They had just wrapped up the Sunday
School lesson on being a good witness for Jesus, when one adult rose,
and exited the classroom. A murmur immediately spread throughout the
class, and one statement was heard above the rest: “Must have felt
convicted!”
The teacher, knowing why the man had
left, let the murmuring continue for a minute and then called the
class to silence, “I asked John to leave the class without
interruption, and without explaining himself.”
The class looked to each other with
puzzled expressions. With no answer forthcoming, the teacher
continued, “Uncomfortable as this is, it is a valuable lesson for
us all. I don’t care who made what statements. I did this as an
example of how we sometimes give false witness.
“There is always someone standing on
the sidelines waiting to judge Christianity by its mistakes. The
murmuring that followed John’s departure is a form of gossip.
Several of us defamed John’s character unjustly. If a non-believer
had been present they would have heard the family of God criticizing
one of their own.” He paused. Scanning each face, not wanting to
single anyone out, yet not giving them room to escape the true
conviction that had entered the room.
In closing, he simply stated, “We are
each letters from Heaven, written in the Spirit of the living God.
How would you like yours to read?”
†
It’s been said that many Christians
are the only Bible some people will ever read. If that’s the case,
what are those who are reading us getting from the Bible? Do we draw
them toward a relationship with Jesus Christ, or do we confirm the
cynicism of those who see Christianity as a hypocrites’
religion?
Paul took responsibility for his
witness. He also challenged those he was responsible for to witness
well.
When we witness poorly it reflects not
only on our walk with the Lord, it puts a black eye on the Source of
our faith. We must be mindful of the statement we are making.
Prayer
“May the pages of my
book be considerate and encouraging, Lord, drawing people into
relationship with You, instead of driving them away. In Jesus’
Name, Amen.”
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