God’s Ambassador

[Rahab said,] “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you.” Joshua 2:12

Rahab the prostitute recognized that the two spies of Israel were powerful and influential men. She had heard about how God had worked in their lives, and because of that, she acknowledged the awesomeness of their God. She had come to realize that her only chance of survival in a time of war was through the mercy of their God and the kindness of their nation.

To Rahab, these two men were more than spies; they were ambassadors for the one true God. For that reason, she begged them to show her and her family kindness.

We are to the people around us what those spies were to Rahab: ambassadors of the almighty God who can show them kindness, who can say and do things to let them know he cares about them too.

I have been coaching youth basketball for nine years and have found it to be my most effective tool for showing my community the kindness of God and for establishing myself as his ambassador in my neighborhood. Many of our neighbors have begun attending our church because of the relationships my coaching has helped build between them and my family. Many of these families have asked me to perform either weddings or funerals for their loved ones, and one of my close friends in our neighborhood even allowed me to help him come to grips with his long-term addiction and his eternal need for Jesus Christ.

You may not be an international spy or even a youth basketball coach. But wherever God has put you, you are Christ’s ambassador to the world around you. Remember: your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others need what you have!

God, establish me as your ambassador to those within my sphere of influence.