Romans 8:28-29
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
If you believe in Jesus, and publicly admit that you follow Him, then you are an ambassador for Christ whether you want to be or not. You – by what you think, what you say, what you do – show the people around you what you really believe in your heart it means to be a Christian. That is so powerful! But it can also be deadly….
If you listen to the same voices the world listens to, you will think like the world.
If you think like the world thinks, you will speak like the world.
If you speak like the world speaks, you will act like the world.
If you act like the world acts, there will be no difference between you and the world.
If you think and speak and act like the world, if there is no difference between you and the world … why would anyone choose to follow the Jesus you follow rather than follow the world?
You were not created for this; you were not redeemed for this. “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. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
To be an effective ambassador for Jesus Christ – whether you’re an evangelist or a bus driver, a worship leader or a cook – you must shine with the light of Christ … but you can only shine with whatever is stored in your heart. If you fill your mind with the world it will seep into your heart, and you will merely shine with the world’s light. And how dark is that “light”!
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23).
Fill your eyes, your ears, your mouth, and your mind with the light of Christ, with the word of God, with the love of God. Then you will truly shine, and many will come to His light!
Word of God: speak!
Non nobis Domine+
by Fr. Dana Jackson
Leave a Reply