“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation … We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God”
(2nd Corinthians 5:18 & 20)
I love the simplicity of these verses; they spell out so plainly the two reasons why we exist. First and foremost, we were created to be God’s friends; not just His servants (John 15:5) but His close companions. Secondly, He has given us the job of drawing others into the same close relationship of love and trust. It really is as simple as that!
People so often say, “I don’t have a ministry”, but actually we all have! When someone obviously enjoys living close to God there is something so attractive and unusual about them that other people can’t help being curious. In a world where everyone is desperately hunting for love, peace and happiness, they watch anyone who seems to have discovered the source of these things very carefully indeed.
“Speaking for Christ, as though as though God was making His appeal through us” doesn’t mean we have to stand on a soapbox and preach in our local shopping centre. It isn’t even the good things they see us doing that impress them; they want to know if being friends with God really will provide them with the love, peace and happiness that they crave. If they see that our involvement in Church activities is nothing more to us than a boring duty or a way of making us feel pleased with ourselves for our “do-gooding”, they will turn away and look for satisfaction somewhere else.
Please make me a good advert.
(J. Larcombe)
“Be like Jesus this my song,in the home and in the throng,be like Jesus all day long, I would be like Jesus”!
Excellent!!!