Ambassadors!

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:20,21

I want to take a look at the second verse first. It is so amazing that God would choose to take our sin on Himself. When I think about the cross, the physical pain associated with that is enough to make me shudder. But beyond that, the fact that Christ would endure the separation from God the Father because of my sin, and the agony associated with that separation is hard to grasp. We see how painful that was in Christ's cry from the cross, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He experienced that so that I would not need to. He set such an extreme example of living sacrificially, and through that sacrifice we now are clothed in a righteousness we were incapable of attaining. As I think about being an imitator, the words Jesus spoke to His disciples echo in my head, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." I don't know about you, but it makes me want to ask, "Where are You taking me, Lord?" That middle phrase frightens me. I don't like crosses. I'm not a fan of pain. I'm getting too old for that! But there is a call to live sacrificially, and I want to heed that call.

Ambassador, or Representative is how God now sees us. We are His representatives on this earth, called to give those we rub shoulders with an accurate picture of God. We are given the responsibility to be proclaimers of this message that God delights in reconciling people to Himself. I was looking at Luke 15:1,2 the other evening. "Now all the tax-gatherers and sinners were coming to Him to listen to Him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" The accusation against Jesus was that He accepted people. This God-man, who was the holiest person to ever walk on earth, received the worst of sinners while maintaining His holiness. I'm challenged by that. I am called to be holy, but in my relationships, is holiness something that draws people and allows them to experience acceptance, or am I using it as a buffer to turn people away? If I'm ever on trial, I'd love for that to be the charge against me, that I accept others. I know also that Jesus was very intentional in His acceptance of others. He came to proclaim the Father's love for people, and like Him we are to share that message.

It's encouraging to me that Paul, speaking to the church, says, "we beg you...be reconciled to God." We cannot look at our reconciliation as a once and done thing. It is an ongoing journey God has us on. In view of my stumbling, I'm grateful that He continues to reconcile me.

What will the world think of God? I have an opportunity to influence that today as His ambassador. Lord, keep me humble and obedient as I walk this earth.