“A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health” (Proverbs 13:17).

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”” (II Corinthians 5:20).

For Americans who wish to serve abroad, ambassador is one of the most highly sought after positions. This position is commonly handed out based on political favors to the president or to the political party that the president belongs to. Although our sinful nature can corrupt the appointment of ambassadors by placing people in these positions who lack the proper qualifications, there are a number of reasons why people who show loyalty to the president are appointed.

To develop a clear understanding of this and of what Paul was talking about, we need to know more about the duties and responsibilities that ambassadors hold. It is first important to note that ambassadors live in countries that are not their own. The Bible makes it clear that as believers, this world is not a home to us because our home is in heaven. An ambassador, however, is not just someone who lives in a different country. There are lots of people with visas who go to other countries on vacation, but these individuals are tourists, rather than ambassadors. Tourists enter into foreign countries solely for personal enjoyment or for a vacation. None of them have the intention of working there.

Anther essential characteristic of an ambassador is that this person does not go to other countries in order to promote his or her own agenda or opinions, but is instead there to exclusively represent the one who he has been sent by. Due to the fact that the president is incapable of being in all countries at a single time, he selects an ambassador that can be a representative to the leaders of a country. If the ambassador is given a message to deliver from the president, irrespective of whether the ambassador agrees with this message, the ambassador will have to do what he has been given to do. It is not in his power to alter the message so that it is more in line with his own opinions or beliefs.

There are many examples of the negative affect that the actions of ambassadors can have on the citizen's view of the ambassador's home country. United States Marines who were deployed to Japan were advised that their behavior was representative of not only the Marines, but also representative of American people as a whole. None of these Marines was faithful ambassadors; they raped a young Japanese woman. For many Japanese people, this incident deteriorated their views and opinions about all Americans. Actions such as these can have detrimental effects for years to come.

Marines who had been deployed to Japan were given a warning from their base commander that they were all serving as ambassadors for both their branch of the US military and their country and they were therefore instructed to behave honorably. Some time ago, there were Marines in this region who raped a young woman from Okinawa. Widespread protests arose given that most residents on the island believed that this behavior was indicative of every American.

These Marines were wicked messengers rather than faithful ambassadors. As a believer in Christ, whether you like it or not, you serve as an ambassador for Christ. This means that you have no right to promote an agenda of your own, but are instead instructed to share the message that you have been given to share. This why Paul, when speaking to the residents of Corinth, said that he was talking in Christ's stead and asking that they be reconciled to God.

To best represent the values of our heavenly leader, we must always remember to keep our words and actions in harmony with the principals found in the Holy Bible. Our behavior as a Christian should be appealing to all who encounter us, so that others develop a high opinion of our leader, Christ. Our behavior must glorify Christ, and this will encourage others to seek his ruler-ship as well. In all we do, we must seek to show others that we are representatives and ambassadors of the Most High.

God is appealing to us as believer in Christ to live our lives in a way that he can be reflected through us. We are God’s representatives on this earth; he is doing his work through us by the person of the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is to get into the word of God, so that we can know his ways. By regularly learning his word under the direction of the Holy Spirit, we can have confidence that God hears us when we offer our daily prayer to him.

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