“Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking
at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s
living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into
human lives—and we publish it.”
(II Corinthians 3:3)
Thoughts… Having a great job or getting into an upper tier college in America these days requires having an impressive resume. You will also need a list of personal references who will stand up for you and your abilities with letters of recommendation that make you look like a cross between Albert Einstein and Mother Teresa. People want proof that you are who you claim to be and that you can do what you say you can do.
Did you realize that you, yourself, are somebody’s resume? That’s what Paul says here in II Corinthians 3. When so many other ministers were bragging about themselves and getting letters of reference sent on their behalf, all Paul had to do was point to the people he was shepherding and say, “Take a look at their lives. They’ll tell you a lot about the depth of my character and the quality of my ministry.”
What was true for Paul is true for your shepherd, or your spiritual mentor, or the person who led you to Christ so many years ago. Now if that is the case, what does their resume look like? What kind of letter of recommendation do you provide for them? If they were applying for a job based on the spiritual fruit in your life, would they be hired?
Every Christian is a living resume for a spiritual leader. We just cannot escape that fact. We give the ministry under which we are shepherded credibility—or not. We are a walking advertisement for the fellowship to which we belong—for good or for bad. Most importantly, we are a living resume for our loving Redeemer—making Jesus attractive or repulsive.
May we so live our lives each and every day that others will want to follow Christ because they see the real deal in us! Jesus said it like this in Matthew 5:16,
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
So let your little light shine, friend!
Prayer… Father, my greatest desire is to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ appealing by my spiritual fruit. Help me this day, and every day, to be your living letter, drawing people to you by the compelling story told by my life.
One More Thing… “Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.” —Oswald Chambers
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