Articles
The Unopened Letter
I have had times when I received letters and I was reluctant to open them. This is something
that has happened more than once in my life, but it still surprises me when it happens. Maybe
this is something you can relate to as well. When was the first time this happened to you? Maybe
it was the first time the person you liked passed the note back to you after you admitted you liked
them. My most recent event happened when I received the results of a biopsy from a strange
growth that was taken out of my cheek. When the envelope is laying there unopened, we feel the
possibilities are still open and every possible answer exists inside the envelope.
The New Testament is a collection of letters. The information contained within these letters
was not only for the individuals and congregations at that time, but for humanity for all time. The
letters were meant to be shared and passed on. Am I reluctant to open the letters written and
passed on to me? Fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, fear of change, along with a host of
other thoughts and ideas can keep us from opening the Bible. If we are honest with ourselves and
what we read, it will challenge us. The Bible will correct us and point out our flaws and at the
same time will lift us up and give us hope. God’s answer for your life is there, contained in
letters written to you. We must be willing to open the letters.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to
the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and
intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). “Do your best to present yourself to God as one
approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2
Timothy 2:15). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
~Brad Tolbert
