Text: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
An ambassador. What a cool job – to travel all over and represent your country or company. To have the opportunity to talk about something you love with so many people who might not know.
An ambassador has a unique role beyond just that though. They have to be pretty trustworthy in their work. Not only to the people they are interacting with, but to the state or company they come from. Whoever sends them needs to know their ambassador is going to show the [1] best side and be able to rise to the occasion. The entity behind the ambassadorship has to have a great faith that the person they chose truly does love and believe in what they are sharing with others.
We’ve all been unofficial ambassadors at some point. When you love something, you want others to know about it. Think of a product or company you can’t get enough of. Great customer service, quick shipping, always the best prices. You’d tell all your friends, eager for them to know what they might be missing out on. Your admiration for that company would shine through to others. They would know you truly meant what you were saying.
In Corinthians Paul writes on how we, as Christians, are ambassadors to Christ. Jesus has called us to go among people and share His Word and love to them.
“That seems fairly elementary and straightforward,” you might think. And yet, there is so much more to it. To the world, we stand in as Christ. Broken, angry, hurt, desperate messes that we are, and yet He chooses us to be His light in a world of darkness. He trusts that we love Him enough to give our very, humanly, best[2].
We have the great responsibility of not only representing Him, but doing it in an authentic way that draws others in.
No spotlight.
No pay.
No fame.
We should do it because we love Christ so much, we can’t bear the thought of someone not knowing how that feels.
When we reflect the passionate, unchanging love of God, what do others see? Something forced? Fake? Eager to be noticed? Or do they see how much we want to be different, how thankful we are for a Savior whose grace covers all of our sins and faults?
Do we reflect the genuine love we have for a God that trusts enough to make us His holy ambassadors?
My God has chosen me to be an ambassador for Him and I at times i feel like I an doing Him a disservice! I coward out when I know that I should step up! Nevertheless I acknowledge my truth and move forward knowing that today I have another chance and there is no time to wallow in yesterday! Amen and Amen again!
I’m a bit behind, but this message is truly convicting to someone like me in the Mission field. I get so caught up in daily struggles sometimes I forget that I am ALWAYS on display!
I read the scripture and devotional yesterday but didn't understand it until this morning when I read the scripture in the Message translation. It is written this translation: "Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you." <~~~~ Knowing this and fully recognizing the importance of God in my life, I need not only live for him but showing others the love of Christ through me. Through my speech and actions, I am an ambassador for Christ.
May more grace be multiplied to us ladie to be an instrument of profit to The Lord and the ppl we encounter. Remain blessed ladies.
This speaks to me personally tonight.. I have a friend who is struggling through a breakup… I told her about our God… how loving and faithful he is… I told her how important is spiritual aspect to balance out our life, not just to chase the worldly material things… She said yes, she is more into the new age things.. and that's ok… she said.. how do you response to that? New age?
I pray for boldness also. I was so in love with my ex boyfriend that I could barely go a conversation without working him into the conversation. It was natural, and I didn’t worry about what others would think. Christ, on the other hand, has saved my life and continuously shows me grace and mercy, yet I don’t bring Him up in conversation nearly as much. It’s sad. I need courage to verbally share Christ with others.
Dearest Ellen MR, my prayer is for you tonight. May God’s breath flow on you, in you and all around you. May the light of his angels flood out the darkness and bring you and your family love and much needed peace. I claim it in Jesus’s name.
Just a side note; after a suicide attempt by my daughter, I went home and sent the most gut-wrenching cry out to God for help. He heard & answered. Sometimes in our darkest hours it is where God truly shows himself to us.