Ambassadors

The role of an ambassador is interesting. Ambassadors literally lose their identity while they are on the job because they officially represent someone or something else. The United States sends ambassadors to most countries, and these ambassadors speak on behalf of the President and our country.

Do you think an ambassador goes into a meeting with a king, president, or other form of government and just “wings it?” No, an official ambassador says only what he has been instructed to say. And his instructions come straight from the top.

Failure to properly communicate the message from the White House can result in confusion, strained relationships with allies, and greater distance between enemies.

Those of us who are believers in Jesus are His ambassadors. Colossians 3:17 instructs us, “and whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Everything we do represents the Lord Jesus. This is why we cannot try to simply wing it when it comes to life; we need to follow our instructions, which come straight from the top. God’s Word, the Bible, tells us all that we need for a life of godliness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

When we fail to represent God the right way, we can confuse people. This can result in being a stumbling block for young believers, and it can be a turn off for non-believers.

Losing our temper, choosing not to forgive, using unwholesome language, being dishonest—these are all things the Scriptures forbid. When we are guilty of these things, we misrepresent our Lord.

I am not calling for flawless living. But what happens when we acknowledge our mistakes? When we go back and apologize, this models humility, love, grace, and a number of other things that God calls us to display. So even our mistakes, if handled the right way, can serve as a good representation of God.

Ambassadors, we have been given a clear mission: to represent the greatest Being in the universe. Get your instructions and go represent your Lord Jesus.  

Animal Traps

Have you ever seen one of those animal traps with the interlocking teeth? Not the homemade kind that boys in the backyard use to catch squirrels, but the nasty, professional ones. These traps are spring-loaded and are so bad that some animals will gnaw their own leg off and leave it behind just to escape the trap.

Unlike Diego, I don’t have the ability to speak to animals. But if I could communicate with them, and I could tell them which paths to go down to avoid the traps, they would probably take my advice. They would be able to walk with confidence without having to look out for snares along the way.

As Christians, we always need to be vigilant because our adversary is out to trap us. But at the same time, when we are following the Lord’s path, we can still walk with confidence. Proverbs 3:26 says, “For the Lord will be your confidence, and keep your foot from being caught.”

There are really just two paths in life: the right way and the wrong way. The wrong way is filled with snares, and if that is the way we choose to live life, then we can expect to be trapped and hurt.

But if we choose the right path then we can expect something different. Again, I am not saying that bad things will not happen, or that Satan will not trip us up. But what I am saying is that we can walk with confidence knowing that we are going God’s way. A proverb is not 1000% true, but is a good rule of thumb. This rule of thumb says that if we are where we should not be, with people we should not be with, doing something we should not be doing, then we can expect a bad outcome.

But if we are where we should be, with people we should be with, doing what we should be doing, then we can expect a good outcome. 

New Year

    

 2012 is underway, and the wishes for a Happy New Year are dying down. While I certainly hope that this calendar year is a great one for everybody, I generally tend to just focus on one day at a time. Instead of striving for a good year, I just want one good day at a time.

     The problem with putting so much focus on having a good year, is if it starts off on a bad note, or even if it goes south in June, we may write the whole year off and begin to look forward to 2013, thus wishing our way through several months. If we focus on each day, then even if we have a bad day, there is always tomorrow, this new chance to have a better day.

    Like having many days in a year, many chances to have a new beginning, so the Christian life provides many opportunities to begin anew. Jesus said that in order to follow Him we must pick up our cross daily and follow Him. I’ll be honest, there are some days that I don’t do that at all, and some days that I only give it half effort.

     When those days come, we simply need to repent and make tomorrow a better day. Instead of focusing on your entire life, or even 2012 for that matter, focus on today. Make today be a day that you take up your cross and follow Jesus. And when today is over and you wake up in the morning, focus on that day.

     The best way to have a happy new year is by living a holy life one day at a time.

“And He said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

Fruit Basket

If you were given the task of bringing fruit for someone, where would you go, and what would you get? You might run to a fruit stand or a grocery store and bring back anything from apples and bananas to guavas and mangos. In John 15:16 Jesus told His disciples to bring fruit, but He wasn’t referring to that which grows on trees.

The fruit Jesus was referring to are the character traits that should be evident in the lives of every believer. The Holy Spirit of God will do the cultivating, and that is why Paul referred to these traits as the fruit of the Spirit.

In Galatians 5:22-23 we see that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance.” But too often as Christians we are guilty of saying things like, “I’m just not a patient person.” We aren’t supposed to accept the fact that this fruit isn’t evident in our lives; this isn’t a “pick and choose” situation like a buffet. It is all or nothing.

Don’t think of the fruit of the Spirit as different options available to you (“I have love, you have joy, etc.), but think of it as a fruit basket, where every believer should have each trait available for his life.

Dead Battery

I was leaving Wal-Mart in a hurry on Wednesday afternoon, needing to hustle to get some last minute things done before our mid week service began at church. But when the key was placed in the ignition, nothing happened. I don’t usually like when my cars make noise—squealing beaks, clanking engine, and unidentifiable rattling under the hood are sounds I frequently drown out by turning up the radio. But when you turn the key and get total silence, well, that is a bad silence.

So many times in life our plans can quickly change. Mine weren’t the only ones that changed in the parking lot. A friend of mine, a pastor from the next city, came by to help. When we couldn’t get the battery jumped back to life, he drove me eight miles out of his way to my house.

I’m so glad for a friend that didn’t mind going out of his way for me. He was being obedient to the command of Jesus to “go the extra mile.” In Matthew 5:41, Jesus told His followers, “Whosever shall compel thee to go with him a mile, go with him two.” As followers of Jesus today we should be looking to go the extra mile for people all around us. Be on the lookout today for someone in need of the love of Christ, and then show them His love in action.

Will you go the extra mile, or extra eight miles, for someone today?