Once Upon a Time

Posted on December 4, 2015 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ~2 Corinthians 3:2

I love a story with a great ending. Each time I watch a movie or read a book the ending is usually the result of the climax of the story which determines whether a movie is just good or great. As we journey through life it should be on the forefront of our minds that a story is being told. The beginning has already been written but the ending is yet to come.

Paul is writing his second letter to the Church in Corinth and is appealing to them that the conversion to Christ is being played out in their lives. He is staking his reputation of being an Apostle on the outcome of what is seen in their actions. He writes in chapter 3, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not 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”.

Unfortunately too many stories of the Saints who were made alive thru Christ allow their story to be a tragedy instead of a story of a great rescue or triumphant feat undertaken by the Savior of the world. Imagine watching a John Wayne movie where there’s a damsel in distress and John Wayne rides in to save the day only to hear the damsel say “no thanks, I’ll just stay here in captivity”. NO, we want to see him shoot all the bad guys, scoop her up and deliver her to happily ever after.

Now I’m not saying that after coming to Christ we live happily ever after, but we should live a life that no matter what comes our way we can quote Nehemiah’s proclamation in Chapter 8, “the joy of the Lord will be our strength”.

If we can only step aside and see that the rest of our lives are not our story but His,” clearly you are an epistle of Christ”, that means He gets to finish the ending. We can either try and write our own autobiography or let our life be a biography of Christ. The problem with a lot of us is we are too caught up in the beginning of the book that we don’t see how anything good can come out of this biography.

So if you’re being held back by the circumstances that surround you or a past that haunts you, let today be the climax that leads to a victorious ending, lets mimic the words of the Apostle Paul from Philippians 3, ”Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.

Our Hero will be riding in on a horse to save us, until then my brothers, lets live as if we see Him coming in the distance, Amen!

Written by Rob Russomano, Colony of Mercy Graduate and Full-time staff member of America’s Keswick. If you would like to contact Rob, you can email him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org

The Daily Bible Reading: 2 Chron. 32-33, Luke 11:1-28

Think About This:“All attempts, then, for mortification of any lust, without an interest in Christ, are vain.” ~John Owen

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you. ~Deuteronomy 3:22