Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Paul founded the church in Corinth and spent about a year and a half with them before moving on. After he left, others came and taught there. Some of them, like Apollos, were very helpful to the church (Acts 18:24-28). But others came who were more interested in developing a following of their own. And it is apparent that some of them brought letters of recommendation, lauding their credentials and accomplishments.
Paul’s response was to claim that the Corinthians themselves were his letter of recommendation. They were the product of his ministry among them. They had seen and experienced his accomplishments in Corinth for themselves. There was no need for a letter of recommendation from some other source.
Two types of recommendations. One is written on paper, telling what others think of me. And the other on the hearts of those who have encountered me. The first can have value. But much more significant is what has been gained by personal experience.
The real proof of my service to the Lord comes, not from what other people say about me, but from the impact I have had on their lives. Are people better off for having encountered me? Have they been drawn closer to the Lord? Or has my influence in their lives been less desirable? What kind of recommendation is written on their hearts?
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