Ambassadors for Christ
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground”. – Genesis 1:26
God is a God of purpose and well-thought out plans. He has a purpose for every step He takes; every decision He makes. In Genesis 1:26 when God set out to create man, He did this with a purpose in mind. God needed someone to represent Him on earth. God can’t be seen with our physical eyes, but man can be seen. God created man to be his personal representative here on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). The same way Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God, so too we are to radiate God’s glory everywhere and in everything, we are to represent God to those He brings our way.
To be His representative, to be God’s ambassador, you must be from Him. You can’t be an ambassador for a country you aren’t even from or a citizen of. We are firstly creations of God. “It is He who made us and we are His…” (Psalm 100:3). By creating us in His image and likeness, God created us to think and act like Him; to reflect Him. You can’t represent a country you don’t know the culture of the people or the laws governing that country. As an ambassador, you need to be well informed of the values, interests and concerns of the country you represent so you can do a good job of promoting the interests of your home country. We are to be a picture to the world of what God likes and values, what God is interested and deeply concerned about. This is why we have been created after His likeness; created to promote and reflect what God likes, values and is interested in.
Since an ambassador is sent to serve in a foreign country, it is essential that he understands the policies, interests and concerns of his own country, so he doesn’t get distracted from his main responsibility or fall into trouble while in a foreign land (Proverbs 13:17). An ambassador has not been sent to a foreign country to become a citizen of that country, but to relay and defend what his own country’s policies and decisions are. As ambassadors are usually appointed by the president, in most cases, they serve in a foreign country for a presidential term. Ambassadors usually change with new administrations. It is not a life-long appointment. As ambassadors of Christ, we are foreigners here on earth. This world is not our home. Our citizenship is of heaven. So we should do everything possible to make our ambassadorship tenure remarkable for the Kingdom of God. We should take definite steps to advance the Kingdom of God before we are called back to our home country.
Our first and primary assignment on earth is not to get married, have children, tons of money, or stacks of certificates and qualifications in our personal files. All these are good, but they are not the main reason why we are here on earth. Our first reason for existence is to defend the main interest of heaven which is the salvation of souls. We are to point people to God, to remind people of God. When you see a child of a friend of yours who looks exactly like your friend, just seeing that child, you are reminded of your friend, you remember a thing or two about your friend. By looking at us, interacting with us, seeking out our opinion on important issues, people should be reminded of what God values and cares about. People should get to know the nature of God. They should have a foretaste of the love, kindness, mercy, justice, glory and power of God. There should be something about us that attracts people to God and tells them of heaven; our home country.
Let’s ask ourselves some home truths. Are we anything like God? Now personalise that question. Does my life reflect and radiate anything about God? Is there anything about me that points people to God; that gets people thinking about God? Do people see God’s love, glory, power and beauty in the life I live? Or is my life a far cry from whom an ambassador for Christ is? Whose interest am I really defending or after? Is it that of heaven or am I just here for my own personal agenda? May the Lord remove everything in us that hinders us from being faithful and worthy ambassadors for Christ.
PRAYER:
Lord God, please restore me back to Your original purpose for creating me. Don’t let my life be a far cry from whom an ambassador for Christ is. Help me make impact for Your Kingdom. Let my life speak of Your love, glory and power.
PHOTO CREDIT: creationswap
