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Evidence of Influence
John Tilton2 Corinthians 3:1-6 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul questions whether he is commending himself and that unlike others, written affirmation of their relationship and the positive outcome and God’s work through them need not be based on recommendation or documentation, but on their testament and evidence of who they had become. I love the metaphor of not being written with ink but by the Holy Spirit and not of tablets of stone but tablets of the human heart. He goes on to state that the formality of documents do not compare with the moving of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people. Or another way to say it is that commendations of position and achievement do not compare with the moving of the Holy Spirit within one’s live, evidenced by their example of Christ.
We have the opportunity to be the evidence of Christ’s influence in our lives. We also have the opportunity to turn people from Christ’s by the way we example ourselves as we call ourselves Christians. Our influence can either be good or bad. Furthermore, to those who have been raised to position, authority or power; much is indeed expected. A friend shared with me what he calls the Halo Effect of position, authority, power and celebrity, where we have an influence on people whether we like it or not. Like the Corinthians, we need to be the shining examples of Christ, where we do not need to be introduced as Christians, or affirmed with certification and documentation. But rather, we need to walk as Christ would want us to walk and be exampled by our words and actions. We then can be a great evidence of influence, where the Halo Effect works for us and not against us.
Dear Lord, thank you once again for humbling me that I might understand and walk closer to you as I realize my call as an example of Christ.
