Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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People of God: Ambassadors of Christ

Austin Sanu
St. John’s MTC, NY

v9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”      

    In this passage God is speaking to Joshua about commissioning him to be the new leader. Just like God promised Moses the land of Canaan He did the same to Joshua. To Joshua this task was overwhelming and confusing. However, God promised to be with him always. To be an ambassador of Christ there are certain characteristics and qualities one needs. The person has to be patient, humble, respectable, gentle, etc. To be truly successful as Christ’s ambassadors there are three ways to accomplish this.
 
 The first way to be successful is to know and do what God says: Many people believe that the only way to have success is by having power and influential people. However, God tells Joshua there’s three ways to go against this criteria. God says Joshua must (1) be strong and courageous because the task ahead will not be easy, (2) obey God’s law, and (3) constantly read and study the Book of the Law- God’s Word. In society’s eyes this may not meet society’s standards but in the eyes of God this will be right. God commanded Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night. When doing this we will know His will and live a more Godly life.
 
  The second way to be successful is to have faithfulness to God: God advised Joshua never to think he was able to do everything on his own. He cannot be the type of person that can lead a huge group of people by his own strength. He needs to be the person that will represent God to others. By believing and trusting God’s Word all things are possible. God did not place Joshua in this place all of a sudden. He allowed Joshua to spend over forty years watching God’s work with Moses. He was able to show Joshua the right way to do things and test his faith. When one goes through tough situations it helps their faith grow and trust God more.
 
    The third way to be successful is to be ready and able to give reasons for His Faith: We should never be afraid to speak God’s Word because He is always with us. As Christians we have a responsibility to speak the truth about the Scripture. We should not worry if it will make others uncomfortable because if we do that makes us cowards. When one has courage they will have the confidence to speak God’s Word.
We must always remember that in order to achieve this we must always have God’s Word in our hearts.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, please give us the strength to be courageous and spread Your Word. Help us to never doubt You and continue to follow in Your footsteps. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." C.S. Lewis

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