Living Epistle

I read a great devotional today that just allowed scripture to jump off the page at me, love when that happens. Although I've read this particular passage of scripture before, I never saw it in this light.

2 Corinthians 3:7-8
"But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious?

Oh man, I gotta continue to vs. 9. "For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, (notice HAD glory, past tense, not present tense, it HAD glory) the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory."

What jumped out at me was the law being referred to as "the ministry of death." And indeed it is. I'd never thought of it like that. However, I've met numerous people that have spiritually died as a result of the law being forced upon them. Rules & regulations to follow in order to supposedly gain God's approval. Don't watch this, don't wear that, don't say this, don't go there, don't think this, don't think that...do this, do that, wear this, wear that. Rules. Law. Death.

But the ten commandments were given for a reason right? God gave the law to Moses & he in turned shared the law with the Israelites, and of course with all who have read the Old Testament, right? Right.

But if you go to the prior verse in chapter 3, we are told in vs. 3 that we are a living epistle, that we are "not written 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."

So how do we reconcile the two then? How do we hold true to the law of the Lord, but yet live in the freedom that the Spirit brings?

By being a living epistle. When I become a living epistle for Christ, then the will of God becomes my delight. My hearts desire becomes pleasing the Lord, and in so doing, the law of the Lord flows out of my life, hence being an epistle. I will automatically live by the commandments of the Lord, because it will hurt my heart not to do so. Murder, deceit, adultery, theft - you can go down the list of the commandments, they won't be something that even appeals to the person made new in Christ. Not because you are told by a religious leader or an authority figure, but because according to Phil 2:13 "God is working in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

When we accept Christ, our old nature is out the door. It dies. We take on this new nature, and as we feed this new nature with the Word, with prayer, by serving, by doing the things of the Lord, we can truly come to a place of delight in the Lord. We begin to live a life of righteousness, not because we are ordered to, but because our hearts cry is to please the Lord. Out of our love for Him, and for what He did on the cross, our hearts yearn to express our gratitude. Our lives are epistles.

I dress modestly because I love the Lord and don't want to ever offend with my clothing. That, and I am extremely modest by nature. If I could rock a turtleneck without looking like a turtle, I would! That being said, I love clothes! And I'm thankful that God looks passed what I'm wearing to my heart, He sees the intent of my heart in what I wear. I'm not out to draw attention to myself, I just like clothes. God loves me just as much right now as I sit in my jammie pants as He does when I feel that I'm looking my best. Perhaps I'll just wear my jammies to church Sunday. Or not.

I go to church because I love church! I've loved church ever since I accepted the Lord. Ps. 122:1 is a favorite verse, "I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." Love me some church! Not because I'm told to be there, but because my heart delights in the Lord and there's no place I'd rather be.

I share those examples because they are often rules placed on people, BY people. There are many other examples I could share but I'm getting all jittery from my coffee now and this could go real bad, real quick ;)

This new covenant we have with the Lord is so cool. The old covenant was written on stone. The new covenant is written on our hearts. The old covenant was death. The new covenant is liberty & life through the Lord. The old covenant brought condemnation. The new covenant brings righteousness, out of hearts cry to serve God. The old covenant was passing away. The new covenant remains forever.

The Israelites could not look on God without a veil in the old covenant. But in the new, we can look upon the glory of God. We have instant access to Him! This new covenant is ever increasing. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we are being transformed from glory to glory...we are ever changing, ever growing, ever falling in love with the Lord. Not because of a rule, but because of pure love.

In the devotional I read today by Smith Wigglesworth it said this: "In this new life in the Spirit, in this new covenant life, you love the things that are right and pure and holy, and you shudder at all the things that are wrong. Jesus was able to say, "The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." (John 14:30) The moment we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are brought into a wonderful condition like this."

Oh wow! May we be able to say the same thing; that old filthy devil aint got nothin in me. Because I am the redeemed of the Lord. Because I'm set free from me. Because I'm a lover of Jesus. Because I'm in the new covenant. Because I'm a living Epistle.

Amen and amen.