| If you were to google the phrase “Ambassador of Golf,” you would spend a great deal of time having to narrow down the search. Try it, and you will see what I mean.
You will quickly discover that innumerable companies have named a particular person as their “ambassador.” Stay with it for a fair bit of time, and you will find this word “ambassador” refers to a player who presumably represents the company’s values.
This, obviously, doesn’t surprise American golfers. We have grown accustomed to seeing most players representing such-and-such brand on their hats, visors, bags, and occasionally, shoes. The “trick” for the company is to find that player who authentically mirrors the company’s identity and values.
This risk is particularly true of corporations choosing to invest millions of dollars to become the title sponsor of a PGA, Champions, or LPGA tournament. Watch any sportscaster, such as Jim Nantz, interview the CEO, and it won’t take long for him to ask, “Why did you choose to partner with this event?” Invariably, he or she will say, “this tournament, this community, and these charities represent our company’s values.”
If we dig through our mental archives to connect players to brands, we could easily come up with dozens of examples: Arnie and Pennzoil (I can still see the tractor!), Freddie and Ashworth, Ricky and Puma, and Tiger and Nike. We could also, unfortunately, come up with those companies who had to drop their ambassador due to moral or criminal failure. I’ll leave this last one up to you.
In all these examples, it is obvious that being someone’s “ambassador” calls for an authentic representation of that company’s mission statement and corporate values.
What is true in corporate marketing is exponentially truer when it comes to representing the King and his kingdom. Jesus has called us to the high calling of marching under the banner which bears his insignia—the cross.
Paul tells us something extremely weighty in today’s verse. We are appointed Christ’s “ambassadors.” This honor is indescribably high, to be sure. But the privilege also carries with it the weighty responsibilities of accurately representing our King.
Ambassadors do not get to determine the content of the message they carry to foreign leaders. Can you imagine a president crafting a message and sealing it only to discover the ambassador later stole the president’s stationary and presidential seal and rewrote the communique? I’m not sure of the legalities of that betrayal, but I would imagine the punishment is severe.
As Christians, we have the joy of representing our King in our conduct and communication. We also have the weighty responsibility of insuring that our conduct corresponds with the dignity of the office and that the content of our message faithfully represents his commandments.
Furthermore, we cannot divorce the two. We often hear people attribute Francis of Assisi with saying, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary, use words.” There are at least two problems with this: One—He never said it, and Two—It is not biblical. Our behavior, by biblical standards, is to be above reproach. Our speech is to be seasoned, as it were, with salt.
Our lives become the platform from which our words are believable. The words we share must, of necessity, accurately represent what our King has inscribed. Combining kingdom conduct and the King’s word is the gospel. And the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
Finally, I urge you to notice why Paul is saying we are ambassadors. We share the gospel with others primarily because men and women need to reconciliation. Which is to say, apart from Christ’s mediation, they are alienated from God. Apart from Christ’s reconciling work, men are women are “…dead in your trespasses and sin” (Eph. 2: 1-10).
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Dennis Darville
Copyright 2022 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at linksplayers.com. |