You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. – 2 Corinthians 3:2

 Today's Scripture Reading (March 20, 2021): 2 Corinthians 2 & 3

Billy Graham argued that "we are the Bibles the world is reading; We are the creeds the world is needing; We are the sermons the world is heeding." A lot of people might carry a Bible, but most won't bother to read it. But every day, they will read the message that we are living with our lives. Many people will never understand the value that God places on their lives, but moment by moment, they will know the value that we place on their lives. This world may never feel the reality of "For God so loved the world," but they know whether or not we love the world, or even if we love them.

We are the Bible the world is reading. We might be the only Bible that the world is reading. So, what is the message that they are taking away from our lives? Would the message that they are reading make Jesus proud of his body, his church? Sometimes, but most of the time, I think those who interact with us are reading the wrong message. What we often portray to the world is not the radical acceptance and unconditional love that God has shown to us; it something different and less than. I know that is true of my life.

Paul spent eighteen months ministering in Corinth. During his time there, he supported himself by working as a tentmaker. And after he left Corinth, he wrote at least three letters to the church, two we have in our Christian Testament, but at least one letter has been lost in time. And with every sermon and every letter, Paul tried to teach the Corinthians the truth of God. He wrote about the importance of community and love. Paul taught them about how they should be celebrating the Lord's Supper. He wrote about their interaction with the predominant culture that surrounded them. He taught about the second coming of Christ and many other things as he answered the questions and concerns that the Corinthians had posed to him.

But that wasn't the end of the communication that Paul had for the Corinthians. The message that he had given to them had been built on by God and Holy Spirit. Now they were the medium for the message. If the Gospel were worth anything, then it would be able to be read in the actions of their lives and the desires of their heart. Paul was still writing to the Corinthians, but now the message was written in the flesh and blood lives of the Corinthians. So, what was the message that those who interacted with them were getting from the life of the Corinthian followers of Jesus?

You are the Bible that your friends are reading. You are the Bible that your enemies are reading. You are the Bible that the world is reading. So, what is the message that they are gathering from your life?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4