Good morning
Hope you’re well and thriving. Today’s Holy Nougat invites us to think about the troubling situation of identity theft.
“HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME.” 2 Thessalonians 3:17 NLT
Have you ever really noticed this verse before? And if so, were you tempted to check all the letters of Paul to see whether they each bear his ‘signature’? The matter of identity theft seems to have been as real then as it is now.
If duplication is a high form of flattery, then we are assured that Paul should have been flattered. For the Bible critics contend that there’s insufficient proof that Paul wrote all the epistles which bear his name. (Hence the term ‘Pauline’ epistles; which I use occasionally). But underlying that is th thought, what would cause others to wish to mimic Paul’s style? And; more personally, am I the one others mimic or am I more frequently mimicking others?
Originality is key. Nevertheless, as followers of Jesus; we ought to be mimicking His lifestyle. In fact, we ought to be the epistles to the world; written by God’s own hands! Seriously. And that’s where we have to ensure that we guard against being accomplices to our own spiritual identity being stolen. That our worship, words, works, and witness pass the litmus test of God’s standards (e.g. Philippians 4:8-9).
Maintaining God’s standard is not easy. And we probably don’t always wish to adhere to them. Nevertheless we seek to be authentic in worship, words, works and witness. And by inviting God to intervene in (perhaps before) our every activity.
Feeling up to it? Prayer for guidance is our first step.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
