Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20, NASB)
A little while ago, after some very helpful lessons, I had my best round of the year. It was great! And then I took five weeks off.
When I returned to playing, I decided to spend additional time on the range just working on my swing, hoping to get back to where I was. I wondered if I had regressed, but I didn’t really worry about it. What I realized, though, was that going to the range is risk-free. It is safe. I could still say I shot my best round. But—and this is important—there is also no reward. Sooner or later I needed to get off the range and get out and play.
Am I actually living out what God has called me to?It is different on the course. Fairway bunkers, sidehill lies, elevated greens with sand traps all around, three-putts, and the occasional tree. In other words, frustration and disappointment. Risk. Being uncomfortable with the shot I am going to attempt. But that is also where the reward is. The fun of being with friends, a well-executed drive, a lob shot that sticks close to the pin, or landing on the green and close to the pin on a par-3. Those shots that make us all want to come back and play again.
Following Christ is like that. There are many activities we can be involved in that are good things: We can read our Bibles, go to church, attend Links Fellowships—all good (and important) things we should do. But they are like being on the range. Sure, I am developing in my faith, in intimacy with God, and I am bonding with other believers, which are essential developments. But do they mean I am “in the game”? Am I actually living out what God has called me to?
In John 12 and Luke 9, Jesus was clear when he said that if we want to serve him, we need to be where he is: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Paul applied this teaching when he told the Corinthians that his being “delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake…produces life in you.” He was not talking about his physical death. He was referring to the process of dying to self that all true followers of Christ go through. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, the apostle wrote, we are “ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal though us; we beg you on behalf of God, be reconciled to God.” Likewise, ambassadors must leave their homelands and live in a foreign country and represent the interests of their home country. They are not always comfortable in doing so, but they do it because it is their calling. It is where their reward is.
If you are comfortable talking about Christ with unbelievers, have you done it lately? Or are you “playing it safe?” Are you in the game? God needs you to be in the game. We are not all evangelists, I know. But we are all called to follow Christ and to be his ambassadors. If you are uncomfortable talking directly to your friends about Christ, can you introduce them to one of your friends who is more comfortable? What can you do to be sure they are introduced to Jesus and engaged in conversation about him?
Unlike golf, representing Christ is not a game. Spiritually speaking, we are living and those around us are not. If we are willing to deny ourselves and follow Christ, he will through us produce life in our friends. God wants you to be his ambassador and he has equipped you to do so.
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Bob Kuecker
September 26, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.