Biblical Success - What Me? An Ambassador? Who Says?Sample

How is an Ambassador Paid?

Scripture

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” -- Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” -- Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

“I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.” -- Psalms 37:25 (NKJV)

An ambassador is paid by the sending country, not the host country. The sending country pays all the costs and expenses of an ambassador. In our case as Christ-followers and disciples, we are selected and sent by God and we are promised that He will provide for all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. We have a saying in our business: “I will always have all I need to do all God asks.” This simple motto has profound theological as well as practical implications. 

First, it assumes that God has specific plans for our lives. And Scripture tells us that our performance will be evaluated at some point after the “race that has been set before us” has been completed. There will be consequences of gain or loss. (I Corinthians 3:11-15) We don’t know what the gain or loss will be, but we do know that God is just. It would be unjust if He asked us to do something and didn’t provide what we needed to do it, and then held us accountable for not doing it. We may not always have what we want, but we will always have what we need to do His will. 

That will all be later, but what about today? Can we really believe that God is the Source of all that we have or receive? That our Loving Father who “holds the hearts of kings in His hand” and “turns the river whatever way He wills” is and will always be our Provider? (James 1:17) That no matter how He sends it to us, all we receive we receive from Him? That what we receive is not a function of how hard we work or luck or being in the right place at the right time, but the supply of a Sovereign God to be stewarded and used in building and promoting His Kingdom? The answers that we give to these questions are a big deal. They will define whether we are living by faith or by sight, the way of the world or the way of the Kingdom.

It’s also a bit tricky. Satan has been given limited and temporary authority over the world and its resources for a season, and he can spread those resources around. I tell our team, “If you can be bought by money, the devil will pay your price.” All the more reason to press into intimacy with our Father in Jesus. But that’s for another day. For today, let’s end by saying that Ambassadors for Christ are well paid here and get big raises later. 

What are your thoughts and comments?