“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good Newsbut our own lives, too.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)
As a follower of Jesus, you’re his ambassador here on earth. Your job is to share the Good News of the salvation he offers to the whole world! But your job doesn’t stop there. As you share the Good News, you have to show love—to everyone.
Why must an ambassador of Jesus show love to everyone? Because God is love. So if you show anything but love to other people, you’re not representing Jesus.
There are three main ways you can show love.
1. Use your life to meet the needs of others. That’s right—you can show love simply by offering practical help to the people around you.
The Bible says, “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good Newsbut our own lives, too” (1 Thessalonians 2:8 NLT).
You can give simple but meaningful help, like taking a meal to someone who’s grieving, helping a young person with a project, or offering a ride to an elderly neighbor. And you can help on a larger scale too—things like helping with a food bank or disaster relief.
Think of it this way: Ambassadors don’t always stay inside the walls of the embassy; they go out and spend time with people. In the same way, if your whole Christian life is spent inside the walls of the church, you’re not much of an ambassador. You’ve got to get out to places where people are hurting and need help.
2. Give respect to everyone. In other words, as an ambassador of Jesus, you’re not allowed to be disrespectful to anyone. No matter who they are or what they’ve done, everyone is created in the image of God. And the Bible is clear on what that means for you. The Message paraphrase says, “Treat everyone you meet with dignity” (1 Peter 2:17).
Oftentimes, ambassadors interact with people from different cultures, as well as people they may not see eye to eye with. But they have to be diplomatic in all these situations. Here’s what that looks like for Jesus’ ambassadors: “Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15-16 GNT).
3. Build bridges. Here’s what that meant to the apostle Paul: “Whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him.” (1 Corinthians 9:22 TLB).
When you find common ground with people, you build bridges of respect and love. And it’s on those bridges that Jesus and unbelievers can meet each other.
When you spend your life as Jesus’ loving ambassador, he promises you’ll be rewarded in heaven: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve” (Colossians 3:23-24 GNT).
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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