-Devotion by Tom Siderius (MI)
Welcome to another wonderful day with God as our Father and Christ as lord in our lives. God’s Word gives us comfort, strength, confidence and grace every time we read and meditate on it. Our readings today are full of all these attributes of our God who loves us so much.
Psalms 65:5-8(NLT)
You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,
O God our savior.
You are the hope of everyone on earth,
even those who sail on distant seas.
6 You formed the mountains by your power
and armed yourself with mighty strength.
7 You quieted the raging oceans
with their pounding waves
and silenced the shouting of the nations.
8 Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
you inspire shouts of joy.
Father, thank you for your answers to our heart’s prayers and needs. Help us to remember your great love and care of us and all the earth.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15(NLT) Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
Father, we thank you for giving us new life in Christ, that our old nature is replaced with this new life of relationship and fellowship with You and Your Son
2 Corinthians 5:16-17(NLT) So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Father God, help us to see what Christ has done for us. Then help us to see what Christ has done for all who hear Your voice. Your love for us is overwhelming.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21(NLT) And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
To become an ambassador is to become the representative of the king or ruler whom you represent. In the Eastern culture of that time there was no telephone, texting or internet to communicate to the ambassador in real time what the ruler desired for him to do. So, the ambassador would act in the name of the king or ruler to make decisions, treaties or other relationships with the people he or she was talking to. In the same way we have been given the position of a trusted ambassador by our God, and He is sending us to those that we meet with a message of salvation and grace. We are confident of our position because God has forgiven our sins and shortcomings making us His treasured family and trusted representatives. Our lives should be the living proof of what God has done for mankind.
Our position as God’s ambassadors is to tell the God-story (gospel) to all that we meet. Our message is one of new life in Christ, a changed life today and a future life to come. Our message is one of love and grace not condemnation and fear. The goodness of God brings people to repentance and new life. What have we ever done for God that is so good that we deserve a reward for it? Rather see that God has everything that we need for us and for others. Life will change when we approach it with this confidence and grace for others. Be the ambassadors for our God that He has called us to be!
Reflection Questions
How do you meditate on God’s Word? What can you do to improve?
Who has God sent you to to represent Him?
How can we see this role bigger in our lives?
Prayer
Father God, be with us today as we come to You thanking You for your grace and love. We are overwhelmed by Your love for us in Christ. Help us to become the people that You have given us the opportunity to be. Be with us as we speak Your Word to a fallen world around us. We thank you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ our lord and Messiah.
Seek Grow Love 