02/05/2026
"AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST" (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). Beloved in Christ, we thank God for grace to serve Him in the world. We thank God for grace to see another new day. It is a privilege to be called to serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Ambassadors represent their nations where they have been asked to serve. They don't represent their own selves in the nations where they have been asked to serve their countries.
Ours is a meditation and devotional that reflects on God's ambassadors in the world. What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ? We are ambassadors for Christ with God making His appeal through us to a sinful and lost world. Paul unveils one of the most moving identities of those who believe in Christ: we are ambassadors for Christ in the world.
This identity is not honorary but deeply practical, sacrificial, and transformative. To be an ambassador for Christ means that we no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and was raised for us from the world of the dead to life everlasting (2 Corinthians 5:15). We can say with great confidence, "What a privilege it is to be called out of the world to serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords all the days of our lives on earth".
Our lives on earth are visible lessons and messages to people everywhere. A secular and appointed state ambassador does well to represent the power, authority, values, and intentions of his or her nation in a foreign land. Believers represent the kingdom of God in a broken and divided world. At the heart of this calling is reconciliation. God, through Jesus Christ, reconciled the world to Himself. He did not count people’s sins against them. God's grace covers our manifold sins and wrongdoing.
The gospel message is that in Christ, God reaches out to restore His lost relationship with humanity. Even more astonishing is the fact that He has entrusted the ministry of peace, joy, mercy, happiness and divine reconciliation to us. We are not passive recipients but active messengers of the living gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ. To become an ambassador for Christ means living a life that is transformed.
Paul says, “If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation, the old life of sin is gone and the new of holiness and righteousness has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our character, choices, and conduct should reflect this new living identity. We are to proclaim the great message of peace, freedom and divine reconciliation. We are to speak and live in such a way that others hear God’s appeal to sinners through us.
We are called to be reconciled to God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are called out from amongst many sinners to represent Christ faithfully in our words and actions. Our human character, conduct and attitudes should align with the love, humility, and the truths that are found in Christ. We should embrace God's grace and sacrificial love for the world in Christ.
As Christ bore our sins on the cross, we are called to bear with the faults and wrongs of others, extend grace to them and pursue peace. Paul gives a summary of the saving gospel in a powerful exchange: “God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Sin entered the world through Adam but grace and truth came through Christ.
This divine exchange is the foundation of our message and mission. In a world marked by conflict, injustice, and spiritual confusion, the role of ambassadors is of a great need. We are called to move into homes, prisons, workplaces, churches, and nations to reflect God’s heart and invite others to experience His grace. Ours is a high calling to serve God and humanity.
Prayer: Gracious and loving heavenly Father, thank You for the great grace and sacrifice to reconcile us to Yourself through Christ. Thank You for the gift of new life and the calling to be Your ambassadors in the world. Forgive us for the times we have failed to represent You faithfully in our words and actions. Lord, shape our hearts to reflect Your love, humility, and truth. Help us to live as new creations, transformed by Your grace and love for lost sinners.
Help us take our calling and vocation seriously. Give us courage to proclaim the message of peace, reconciliation and wisdom, to speak with compassion, love and clarity. Use our lives as Your instruments of peace in a broken world. Let others see Christ in us and be drawn to Your saving grace. Lord our God, strengthen us to walk worthy of Your calling, so that we honour You in all that we do and say. We pray these through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, Amen.
Rev Dr Abraham Akih
