[443 words]
In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, Paul tells the church of God at Corinth, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, 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.”
When we read through the New Testament Epistles—the letters that men inspired by God’s Holy Spirit sent to the church in the first century—we find those messages begin with a very uplifting greeting! If we read through the opening paragraph of Paul, Peter and John’s letters, we find them expressing grace, peace, and mercy to their brethren.
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7).
“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5).
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4).
“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love” (2 John 3).
As I was reading through a devotional on God’s Daily Gifts from 2 John 3, it made me think about our lives as living epistles! What greeting do people get when they interact with me? Does my life exhibit a message that exalts the grace, peace and mercy that God has gifted to me? Have I allowed God by His Holy Spirit to display in me a proper reflection of God’s grace, peace, and mercy?
With great blessing comes great responsibility! Our lives are the first introduction to the gospel of Jesus Christ that most people encounter! May God help us to embrace and reflect the wonderful blessings we have in Christ! May that reflection help open the door for us to share the hope that is in us with those we meet each day! To God be the glory!
John Helbig
Graeber Road Church of Christ
Rosenberg, TX