Monday, March 5, 2012

Person to Person

1 Corinthians 4:8-21
The apostle Paul's concern for the spiritual well being of the church at Corinth led him to send an emissary to that congregation. "For this reason I sent you Timothy," Paul writes, "who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach them everywhere in every church" (1 Corinthians 4:17). Paul could not be there himself, but he knew he could trust Timothy to convey the proper message. This meant that Timothy had to be ready to serve, had to be ready to teach, had to be ready to go!

Not everyone can be a "Timothy," of course, but all believers should be prepared to share the good news of the gospel, to be emissaries for Jesus Christ whenever the opportunity arises. As someone once said, we may be the only Bibles some folks ever read. How we live and how we treat others, then, should reflect our faith in the one who came in order that all might be redeemed. When it comes to our calling as the people of God we certainly don't want to send mixed messages.

Prayer: God of all time and space, help us to live as messengers of your grace and to share it with everyone we meet. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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