Greetings that minister 26. Jun 2024 On The Way In Love Many of the epistles in the Bible, 17 in fact, have some common words of greeting. For example, “Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 1:7b; NKJV). “Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Tim 1:2b; NKJV). In one epistle, written by Jude, the brother of Jesus, we read, “Mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you” (Jude 1:2; NKJV). In their greetings the writers above were conveying words of encouragement from the Lord to the Christian churches. Let’s look at the words used. The Greek word for grace describes God’s unmerited favour, available to His children enabling us walk in and all His blessings and the life He has for us to enjoy. God’s grace encompasses empowerment to be all He wants us to be, especially as His ambassadors. God’s gift of peace is a state of perfect wellbeing in harmony with God and each other, even when we are surrounded by turmoil. Mercy is the practical outward expression of goodness and pity. God shows us mercy in His forgiveness and gift of salvation. We are to show mercy to people who are suffering and in need. In Jude’s epistle the Greek word for love is agape, God’s unconditional love for us and the love we are to walk in as Christians. This love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in us (Gal 5:22-23; Rom 5:5). Let’s think on God’s greetings by the apostle Paul and other writers of the epistles. These greetings should motivate us to be constructive in our conversations and use our words to be a blessing.