Today's encouragement comes from 2 Corinthians 8:23b, where we read these words:
“ . . . And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.” (ESV)The body of Christ, the people of Christ, are, in a very important sense, “the glory of Christ.” This intriguing phrase reflects Isa. 46:13c: “ . . . Israel my glory.”
The true church is the new liberated “Jerusalem” above, filled with children of the free woman (Sarah); whereas the “Jerusalem” below is in bondage, filled with the children of the slave woman (Hagar)—cf. Gal. 4:21-28. Let us as God’s beloved and forgiven people shine, as “the glory of Christ."
[Puritan quote of the day: "Are your sins high as heaven? The mercies of God are above the heavens.” —Isaac Ambrose, in, "The Christian Warrior"]
