Focus

Pay attention to the tension in your body. Let go of it and any expectations to do anything, but God’s will today. Prepare yourself to hear God’s word.

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Read

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 (NRSV)

So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

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Reflect

Maybe you have had a tough job in the past; maybe you have a tough job now. In our text, Paul is talking about a tough job. It’s an assignment every Christian has been given: to be an ambassador for Christ. To be thus occupied will result in “afflictions, hardships and calamities” (Hey! Could someone point that out to some TV preachers?) “beatings, imprisonments, riots…” The list goes on. Who would want to sign up for that?

Maybe it’s you. Perhaps God is calling you right now to go and share the love of God, to offer the hope found only in Jesus Christ. You know that love; you have that hope. Nothing could ever take it from you, but have you ever given it away?

It will be hard. There will be difficulties. Suffering awaits. But serving the Lord is not without benefits. God will put things in your hand that you need. God will open doors that only God can open; you will see it with your own amazed eyes. You will die, yet God will make you live. You will reach the end of you and discover God holds the ends. It will be as if you have nothing, but in Christ possess everything.

It’s worth it! Could your life be spent on anything more important than doing your part to reconcile people to God?

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Pray

Lord God, we have been touched and transformed by Christ. Grant us the opportunity to share the Gospel with others that they too would know the love, peace, power, and hope found only in Your Son. Through Christ’s suffering, we have been reconciled to You, and we will be His ambassadors to others even if it means suffering for us.

Go with God!