8.3.13

Ambassadors for God



March 8, 2013
Opening Hymns:
388 Oh Come and Dwell in Me http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh388.sht

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 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. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Message:
What does it mean to be an ambassador for God? It is an honorable position that we all must take very seriously. In a sense we are representing God and other Christians in all the actions that we do, and in all the things that we say. People are watching, and every time a Christian does something mean and unchristianly you can be sure that a non-Christian is watching. How will that effect their opinion of other Christians? How could it effect their opinion of God?

We are given the task of trying to represent God to the best of our ability. If we were visiting another country as an ambassador one could be assured that we would try to be on our best behavior. The same should go for God. Therefore, act and speak kindly to others. Do not lie, do not boast, do not fall into sin. Others are watching… and our actions have an impact on them.

Time of Prayer
Dear Lord, let us be mindful of our actions today. Please help us spread the joy of God to others through our kind uplifting attitudes. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Closing Hymn
536 Precious Name http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh536.sht

May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." Amen.

Go in peace, serve the Lord
Thanks be to God

No comments:

Post a Comment