Be an Ambassador.

Happy New Year!

I'm not one for making resolutions because I believe I should change whenever I see necessary. But nonetheless I'm looking forward to this new year and I'm seeing all the potential it contains. I hope you see the same and can welcome change and growth with open arms.

Over the break, I got the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan. I started reading it over break because I knew once school started, my free time would vanish. I'm not done with it yet, but so far it is incredible. I would highly recommend it.

But that is beside the point. In this book, Francis Chan talks about how believers should be different than the rest of the world. God's kingdom is a future glory, but there is also a sense that we are supposed to live it out now on earth (Matthew 6:10, 12:28). We are supposed to live in a way that reflects the kingdom of God. We are not citizens of the world but of a different and much greater kingdom. We are not of this world, but ambassadors to it. We are not supposed to be "light to light" but "light to darkness." This is something I pondered over break and tried to think of how I could live this out in my own life. 

Then at church today, God hit me with this idea again and gave me an applicable way to live it out. Isn't it great when He does that? In Philippians, Paul says, "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life" (Philippians 2:14-16a). In my previous post, I talked about trying to have more joy. The themes of "joy" and "ambassador" have been floating disconnectedly around my mind lately. But this brought both the ideas together. To be an ambassador, I must live in a joyful way that stands out from the way the citizens of this earth. I want to be "blameless and pure" so I can shine among the world and spread the joy of God's kingdom and I can do that by living a Spirit-led life full of joy and peace.

The pastor this morning (Eugene Cho at Quest Church) said something that really stuck out with me. It was, "Pessimism and cynicism are not the song we are to be singing. Be hopeful. God is still working." If we keep in mind that God is always working and we remain hopeful and joyful in this truth, then we will stand out as shining stars and fulfill our role as ambassadors to this world.

I challenge myself (and you) to be an ambassador of light to darkness. We must look critically at how much grumbling comes from our lives and change it to joy. When we do, people will notice and see God's work in our lives. 

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." - Matthew 5:14