Are You a Good Ambassador, or Just Good Enough?

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.

2 Corinthians 5:20

I have had enough with good enough.  I am tired of being a half-way, tepid, good-enough Christian.  I am ready to be more than good-enough.  I read this verse at church on Sunday and the word ambassador grabbed my attention.

Ambassador – it sounds important, very official.  My favorite definition says an ambassador is a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.  The Latin root of the word ambassador is servant.

The Bible says that we are to be Christ’s ambassadors.  Honestly, that is not what my focus is on most days.  I tend to think of how I can promote myself, my comfort, my pleasure.  I tend to promote myself before I promote Christ.  Many days I look at how I can be served, instead of whom I can serve.

I forget that as believers we are in a spiritual war daily. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. God has brought us into his army for action.  Often, I am not focused on my job in His Army.  I have gotten sidetracked.

Imagine if the US sent an ambassador to Russia to share a plan for everlasting peace with Putin.  Imagine if along the way the ambassador was more worried about his accommodations, what clothing he was going to wear, or making sure he was entertained.  Would the US be pleased with that ambassador?  Of course not!  We would be concerned that the ambassador was not focused on the job at hand.  I am sure the US would say, “Enough – get to work.  We sent you to do a job that is a matter of life or death.  Your work affects the peace of the whole world.”

Today, I am telling myself the same message.  Get to work.  I have a place in God’s Army.  I need to be about the battle.  Enough promoting me – it’s time to promote Christ.  Enough with the laziness, it is time to be in action.  Enough with just good-enough.  God has brought me onto his team for action.  I do not want to settle – I want to be the ambassador Christ has called me to be.