"You are our epistle written in our hearts,
known and read by all men."
2 Corinthians 3:2
A man was sitting in the his pastor's library to talk about an issue in his life. He looked upon the shelves with hundreds of books. He said, "How many of these books have you read?" The pastor told him that he had read at least a part of all the books. Then, the pastor said to him, "Our lives are like books. People are always reading us." At that point, the man began to share why he came to see the pastor. He said," They have been able to read my life where I work, and I've failed to live a Christian life." The pastor responded, "All of us have failed at some point in the Christian life. There's good news. With God's help, you can begin a new chapter in your life."
The apostle Paul reminded the believers in the church at Corinth that people were reading their lives like an epistle or letter. Each believer is an epistle of Christ. The Spirit of God is writing in the hearts of every believer the story for others to read (2 Cor. 3:3-4). Paul understood that Christians are not perfect, but he also understood that "our sufficiency is from God" (2 Cor. 3:5). When Christians fail, God does not discard us like a useless book. To the contrary, God's grace writes the rest of the story. He restores us and uses us as an example for others who have failed.
Who is reading your life? It may include family, friends, neighbors or others at work. One thing is for sure, someone is reading your life. If you admit that you have failed as an example to follow, don't give up now. Let the Spirit of God write a new chapter of grace in your life. As we read the books of the Bible, we read about people who failed God, such as Moses, David and Simon Peter. Yet, God was not finished with them. He restored them and used them for the praise of His glory. We still read their lives today. We identify with some of their failures, and we see the grace of God working in their lives. By the grace of God, you can begin a new chapter in your life today.
God, use our lives for others to read.
