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2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Message No. 0688 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca
To be appointed and posted as ambassador of one’s country in a foreign land is one of the most coveted things in politics. If a person does not want the hustle and bustle life of politics and does not want to be in the news constantly but just wants to serve his or her country quietly in some location far away from home, then this is the job for such a person. Ambassadors are respected not only at home but also in the countries where they serve. Their family members are protected and mostly shielded from the everyday troubles of the street.
However, coveted as the position may be, there are limitations to what an ambassador and his or her family could do. This begins with the way and manner in which they conduct themselves in the foreign land. Because they are seen as representatives of their countries, anything they say or do would reflect immediately against their home countries. They must be extra careful not to speak or act in manners that would embarrass their home countries. This is one reason they have around them advisers who are vast in the local culture, including economic and political norms so if an ambassador has an official duty to perform, these advisers would be sure that he or she knows how to approach the occasion.
Besides being careful to not embarrass their home countries, ambassadors are restricted in terms of what they can become in the foreign land. For example, while in service, ambassadors and their family members cannot become permanent residents of citizens of the foreign countries within which they serve. They carry passport types and colors that are different from the ordinary passports of other citizens of their home countries. In fact, the embassies within which they serve are seen as foreign and an extension of their home countries. This is the reason someone wanted by the local authorities could hide in the embassy of a foreign nation and the local authorities cannot go in there to arrest the person.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 20, Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, called members of the household of faith ambassadors:
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
What then, can we learn from the life of an ambassador on earth? A lot, actually. Just as an ambassador on earth is a representative of his or her home country, so is an ambassador for Christ representing Him here on earth. This means that the lives we live must be clearly different from the lives lived by people in the societies where we live and work. In Romans chapter 12 verse 2, the Bible warns:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We are to steer clear of the affairs of this world that are at variance with the perfect will of God. In other words, just as the ambassador of a nation must be careful to not embarrass his or her country, we should be careful to not embarrass our God who appointed us as ambassadors of Christ here on earth. Verse 17 of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 says if we are in Christ, old things have passed away and all things have become new.
The countries in which ambassadors serve do not necessarily love the ambassadors. Sometimes they hate them as much as they hate the countries they represent. You would have heard recently that some countries have asked the ambassadors of Israel to their countries to return home. In John chapter 15 verse 19, Jesus warned His disciples:
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Also, just as the earthly ambassador cannot become a citizen of the country in which he or she serves, so can we not become citizens of the world. In Philippians chapter 3 verse 20, the Bible says:
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Clearly, we are not of this world. The things of this world must not attract or distract us from our mission here. The moment an earthly ambassador strays away from the norms and rules held firm by the home country, the ambassador might be recalled and replaced by someone else. We are to constantly read our Bibles because this is our constitution and the rules based on which we operate here on earth. We must constantly watch our tongues and our actions to be sure that we are still in line with the God who appointed us. The moments we gave our lives to Christ, we were recruited as ambassadors. Are we playing our roles as expected by our Employer?
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PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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