God is looking for Ambassadors to serve him by reaching others who need to hear of the love of Jesus. Will you say? "Hear I am Lord."

Isaiah 6:1- 3, & 8 ~~~~ I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,

and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were Seraphs, each had 6 wings

Then I heard the voice of the lord saying, Whom shall I send? And I said, "Here I am Lord. SEND ME!" Shouldn't we at least be willing to leave out everyday secure spots in life to say, Bless me Lord and send me out to glorify your name.

Jesus left all of Heaven and Glory to become one of us so he could reach and save us.

Jesus said," I am the light of the world. Who ever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" ~ John 8:12

What do we want the most when we find ourselves groping in the dark?

Light! In darkness, we may feel total loss of direction, and security; we may feel fear of being harmed or our weakness of self. But give us light and these feelings don't exist.

We are the Light! ~ Ephesians 5: 8 & 9 And, we get our power from Jesus Christ. Shouldn't we turn on the switch so we can illuminate the way for others to Christ? When you see an opportunity arise, do you ask God, "What do you need me to do or say to this person?" Maybe the answer will be words of encouragement, or appreciation. Maybe it will be just to lend an ear or a hand as a friend. Then again, it may be the chance to speak from your heart of Jesus Christ.

~ Remember, Jesus is with you always, to the very end of the age ~

Matthew 28:20

When used, our light of life pleases the Lord. Keep it on and Keep it Bright!

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2 Corinthians 5:11-21

"Actions speak louder than words". This is what comes to mind as I write this devotional. We are called upon to be ambassadors for Christ. I used to think that being an ambassador for Christ meant that I had to know all the Bible verses and that I should be able to explain them. Otherwise, I thought, I wasn't a good representative or ambassador for Christ. Lately, I have realized something else. The people that I encounter, the ones that are hurting, or the ones that are searching, they aren't looking for me to quote them a scripture. They don't even ask if I can decipher a verse for them. They want to know why my attitude has changed, how I can stay upbeat even when they think I shouldn't be. Those that have known me for years wonder how and why my approach to life situations has changed. One day I was having a conversation with a friend who was struggling. He was stressed. Life's ups and downs were getting to him. He then asked me how I was able to handle the rigors of daily life. When I asked him if he really wanted to know the truth, he said that he did. When I explained to him that I finally decided to put my faith and trust in the Lord, I realized that He was always with me and gives me the peace that I need, there was no need to fret over things that I have no control over. I explained what the bible says, in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" After telling him that, he said that he knew I was going to say that, and that is what he needed to hear. He knew the Truth; I think he needed to see someone who had experienced it. This is how we can become ambassadors for Christ. Not by "acting" like we know all the answers to the Bible, but by being "real". Being real in our experiences. Being real in our testimony. By giving others hope through the sharing our stories, and by not being judgmental of theirs, we can be living examples of what it means to be ambassadors for Christ. I don't like getting in peoples faces and quoting scripture. I would much rather let my actions speak, for they are louder then words. My hope is, while I still have my struggles, I am nowhere near perfect, and in spite of all my faults, that He would use me as an example of who He is and that I would be the vessel that He uses to share His message of love and hope.

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Imagine being an ambassador. Diplomats and ambassadors come from their home country, where they have grown up and become accustomed to the traditions, culture, and customs to live in another country, where they are foreigners. They do this out of love for their home country and so that they can be a representative of that country in a foreign land, keeping the relationship between the two countries stable and maintaining the flow of communication between people that otherwise might not understand or get along with each other at all.

This can be hard for diplomats. They enter a strange place and see things happening that they aren't used to. Vulnerable to culture shock, they might disagree with a lot of the things they see around them. "That's not right," they might think. "I know how that's supposed to be done. We do it better at home." All of the diplomats' beliefs and customs are challenged as he witnesses a completely different lifestyle than what he is used to. Because of his job, though, he must do his best to disregard his first impression and see the people through different eyes. Through relationships with people in the new country, the ambassador might eventually be able to influence people's behavior through his continued practice of his own culture.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul says that this is what we are: we, as followers of Christ, are ambassadors for Him. The earth is not our home, and our bodies are only temporary shelters for our souls. We carry with us the culture and norms set forth by Christ. We don't live here, and we know that someday, we will return to Him in heaven. Until that day comes, what do we do?

Paul says that we, like earthly diplomats, must try not to see the people around us - the people who do not yet know Christ and have not yet turned from their sinful ways - through our judgmental human eyes. Like a diplomat in culture shock, we might judge and condemn people's behavior and the people themselves. This is not the way to build relationships. Our charge, as ambassadors of Christ, is to spread His message in a land that is foreign and do our best not to adopt the views of the people there. The people are not bad, but they are in trouble and need what we know. We have to love the people and show them a better way.

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Do you ever think of the fact that it is by God's grace that you are no longer bound for hell, but know that you will go to Heaven? It's kind of a strange thought, but I think we should reflect now and then to remember where we've come from. What sins were we struggling with before we believed? And what sins are we struggling with as believers? Who impacted your life and shared the good news of the gospel?

Do you remember the day you accepted Christ? I remember the day that I rededicated my life to Christ. I had been a Christian since childhood, but had let life consume me and put my faith way back in the "I'll take care of that later" part of my life. I'm thankful that I listened to others that were strong Christians and allowed them to influence me and encourage me. I was so miserable, lacked purpose and direction until I rededicated my life.

Remember that non-believers do watch us. They want to know what's different, why we desire a relationship with Christ, etc. Show others love, nurture and feed them, admit to not having all the answers. Be authentic!

The true message needs to be that the love Christ has for us and the hope He gives us by taking our sins away when He died at Calvary. Share how God's grace has impacted your life and answer His call to be an ambassador for Christ!

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Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18

We are taught to love one another in the same way the God loves us; unconditionally and without any reservation. But what does this "unconditional love" really look like. In the words of John, our love for one another should have hands, legs, and feet. It should be "active" and doing something real to care for the needs of others. Real love is not just pretty words and thoughts, but has to do something.

I will admit that I struggle with this "active" kind of love. An "active" love takes real time in my schedule. I have to stop doing something else in order to perform some act of love for someone else. I can't just say I'll be thinking about them, and let that be it.

Think of those whom God has placed in your life for you to love. I'll make it easy and even let you pick those who are easiest to love. Now make a point to demonstrate your love for them by taking time to be with them and to serve them this day.I

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