Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Background

My eldest son is on a mission to buy his first laptop computer. For the past couple weeks, he has spent hours upon hours researching the various ones that he might be interested in. He has analyzed their specifications, compared prices, and even corrected a seller or two who didn’t quite realize the exact type of computer that they were selling. Quite frankly, the amount of time and research this thirteen-year-old has put into his quest would probably exceed what most high schoolers put into their term research papers. This first big endeavor into the marketplace has provided some of the best education he has experienced since we began homeschooling him many years ago. But what I must now do is help him make the connection between his pursuit of a laptop and his walk with the Lord. Sinking himself into this project of buying a laptop is not a bad thing, but I need to make it clear to him that everything he does has a greater significance. I want him to understand that he is an ambassador, a representative, and this research is good training for learning how to excel when he is working for others.

Application

When his mom or I ask him to do something, we want him to do his best because he is doing it on our behalf, in our stead. And it needs to be done so that it pleases the one who requested it, as if they had done it themselves. When he gets a job in a year or two, he will represent his boss as he performs his duties, and therefore he needs to give his utmost as if the boss himself were doing the task. And as he commits himself to each of these endeavors, the most important thing he can remember is that he is an ambassador for Christ. The effort he gives and the attitude he portrays, even the manner in which he handles disappointments and rejection, all go into his representation of Christ. The motive to fully dissect a potential computer that one might buy is obvious, but just as obvious needs to be our motivation to be the ambassador for Christ that His name deserves. That, too, is what He pleads.

Charge

As we seek Him today, let Him remind you that it is for His purposes and glory that everything happens as it does. Look at your day as His chance to plead through you on His behalf.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words