Living Letters

You know, of course, that God is in the letter writing business too. He has given us His written Letter, the Bible, to instruct us in "the way that we should go." In addition, because He loved us, He sent His Son, the Living Word, to redeem us and to give us the example to follow as we live our lives. Moreover, Paul tells us that we ourselves are God's living letters, "known and read of all men . . . written . . . with the Spirit of the Living God."
That's a tremendous responsibility! The world's opinion of what God is like is based on what they "read" in me. In the eyes of the world--and they are avid readers--God is only as holy as I am. He is as loving and compassionate as I am; as truthful and honest as I am.
Christ told His disciples that His followers are the salt of the earth, the preservation agent in the world system. In other words, the natural tendency of the world is toward rottenness. The only thing that keeps mankind from getting worse and worse is the quality of the salt--or as Paul puts it, the "readability" of God's living letters.
How well are you and I doing in today's world? Well, just look around you at our society's value system and moral character. But don't just look at the world in general or at our nation--or even at the community in which you live. No, look closely at the people to whom God "mailed" you. Look at your home, your school, your church, your circle of friends. They reflect the kind of impact your "letter" is having on your world.