Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:1-18
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:4-5)
In Christ, we are in a new covenant. The old law demanded perfect obedience to God and His law. No one was able to fulfil this covenant. However, Christ came and fulfilled it. In the new covenant, Christ atones for all our sins, and He imparts to us righteousness. In the new covenant, God promises to forgive our sins and to create in us new hearts as it says in Jeremiah 31:33, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
In this new covenant, God’s Spirit is the one who works in our hearts to change us completely. God’s Spirit continually works in God’s children to renew them from the inside out. The Spirit breathes life again into our hearts so that we who were dead in sin can now have a relationship with God. How glorious is the new covenant? As people in Christ, we do not need to work for our salvation. God condescends and forgives us for our sins which are so heavy, and gives us the Spirit who works in us to renew us daily.
Similarly, the new covenant gives confidence to those who serve God. Our ministry is not dependent on ourselves. However, when we are called to serve God, we are called to be partners in ministry with God Himself. What is God’s love to us? God’s Spirit is the one who is at work in us and through us to bring others to Christ. He is the ultimate giver of life.
In that way, we must be humbled to know that our ministry is not our own work. We are wholly dependent on God. And so, there is also no room for us to boast. None of the ministries that succeed are because of our own efforts. They are not a result of our hard work, our intelligence, our talents and abilities. They are a result of God’s divine intervention who chose to act at that particular moment in his mercy and grace.
So, we must know and understand that we have nothing to boast about. Being God’s servant means to humbly walk with Him as He continues to work out wonders before our eyes. It is a constant relying on Him and trusting His ways. We can make human plans, but in the end, apart from Him, we can do nothing. Once we have surrendered our whole lives to serve God, life is a sweet journey of walking and trusting in God wherever He leads. Have you given your life to serve God and follow Him?
Lord, thank You for the new covenant in Christ. Forgive me, for I know so little about Your wondrous grace. Please help to trust in You as I continue to serve You. Thank You that You want me to serve alongside You. I know that I am unworthy. Lord, apart from You, I can do nothing. I entrust my life, my ministry, and all my hopes into Your hands. May Your Spirit work through my life to bring glory to You.
