2 Corinthians 5:20 – Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

THEME OF THE DAY: REPRESENTING OUR LORD JESUS. The story is told of Gordon Maxwell, missionary to India, that when he asked a Hindu scholar to teach him the language, the Hindu replied: “No Sahib, I will not teach you my language. You would make me a Christian.” Gordon Maxwell replied, “You misunderstand me. I am simply asking you to teach me your language.” Again the Hindu responded, “No, Sahib, I will not teach you. No man can live with you and not become a Christian.”

Get the last statement by the unconverted Hindu – “No, Sahib, I will not teach you. No man can live with you and not become a Christian.” I wonder if that would be said of my life? What about yours? Are there unsaved friends of ours who are seeing Christ in us, not in our religious activities, but in our loving them, investing in them, and serving them? Oh, I made the assumption that we have unsaved friends. I hope we do, and not just neighbors we wave at when we leave our driveways, or people we only know as acquaintances. I mean as friends. Remember Jesus told us we are “the salt and light of the world”, not the “salt and light exclusively in our families, churches, or Christian friends.” If for some reason we don’t have unsaved friends, ask God to open up venues for us to develop these type of relationships. After all, Jesus was called, “The Friend of sinners” because, well, He befriended sinners. And it is our calling and responsibility to wear that same title as our Master. We are not left on the earth to simply hunker down in a Christian fortress, isolated from the world and wait for Jesus. We are called to leave an impact on our world for Christ; an impact as His representatives.

When we think about what it means to be a Christian, we will quickly determine we are what the Apostle Paul states in today’s scriptures – ambassadors for Christ; His representative in all our relationships. Andrew Murray said, “The objective of our daily lives must be to make an impression on others that is favorable to Jesus. When you look at the branch, you see at once the likeness to the Vine. We must live so that something of the holiness and the gentleness of Jesus may shine out in us. We must live to represent Him.” In order to represent Christ, two things are necessary.

First, to represent Christ we must be growing and experiencing Christ. Dads, moms, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, employers, employees, and whatever other roles God has given us, the most important thing we give in all of them is our own personal walks with Jesus. Without a daily seeking of Him to know, adore, and be conformed into His image, we cannot represent His image. The worst thing we may give our family and friends is a profession of words of Jesus without the power of a life reflecting Jesus. Guard our walks with the Lord Jesus in Word and prayer as the most important relationship in life because it is.

Next, to represent Christ we must constantly remind ourselves that is why we exist. Wake up every day asking God to keep fresh in our minds we are to represent Christ from the break of dawn to the end of the day. To our spouses, children, friends, co-workers, fellow Christians, and everyone else we meet throughout the day, they should leave our presence keenly aware they were in the presence of someone who put forth the sweet fragrance of Jesus Christ by the Fruit of His Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Granted, people won’t be able to say that but they can feel that. There is something about being in the presence of a Fruit of the Spirit Christian that God uses to draw people to Christ. I know. While serving on a United States Navy destroyer and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, I was led to Christ by a man who lived a Fruit of the Spirit life before me every day. He drew me to Christ by representing Christ. He was different and it showed, not in a religious way, but in a loving and sacrificial way; a true ambassador for Christ. So, back to the story opening up today’s nugget. May we so know the Lord that it spills over in all our relationships to where they see Him, not ourselves, just like the unsaved Hindu.

PRAYER: “Father, help me see the purpose in my life is to reflect Jesus Christ everywhere I go and to everyone I meet.”

QUOTE: “Christ in us always leads to Christ manifested from us. The world will only ‘see’ Him through us.”