Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
November 7, 2021
Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 So then, from this point on we won’t recognize people by human standards. Even though we used to know Christ by human standards, that isn’t how we know him now. 17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! 18 All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 In other words, God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ, by not counting people’s sins against them. He has trusted us with this message of reconciliation. 20 So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!” 21 God caused the one who didn’t know sin to be sin for our sake so that through him we could become the righteousness of God.
Good Morning! Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say rejoice!
We are called to be ambassadors who represent Christ. When I think about being someone’s representative, I think of the responsibility that implies. Whether you are representing another person or an organization, how you present yourself becomes the “face” of the other party. This responsibility can be a great challenge because it becomes a 24-7 “job”. It seems that our news is filled with examples of those who are the representatives of their organization get caught up in a less than appropriate situation which then becomes viral on social media and in the news. The excuse that is most often given is that the individual was on their own time and they should be able to live as they want.
As the ambassadors of Christ to the world, we are called to live our lives as Christ did, to be the face of Christ 24-7. Christ should be exemplified in thoughts, words, and actions because we are part of God’s new creation and the old things have gone away. Of course, we are still humans and prone to sin. Christ bears our sins so that we might gain eternal life. When we stray from our path and defile God, we must ask for forgiveness. This may seem as too much to ask of us, to be the face of Christ to the world. For mere mortals it is impossible, but with Christ all things are possible. Accept the challenge to become the face of Christ for the world by allowing the Holy Spirit to transform you, by praying, and by studying God’s word.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. Mold me and make me into the face of Christ for the world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I represent Christ when I live out his love.
Let Christ shine through you! Pastor Liz
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