Dave’s Monday Blast – March 13, 2023

INTENTIONAL men of God know that they are His Ambassadors (1 Corinthians 5:20) and as such need to be prepared to engage and impact their spheres of influence in every moment of their day (1 Peter 3:15). Last week we talked about the resolve required to be the kind of man that God created us to be. We spoke of four declarations required of us if we are committed to living in obedience to His design.

One of those declarations stated: I will pursue godliness by making no provision for the flesh. Our flesh houses our sin nature. Many years ago I saw SIN explained by this acronym:

S = Setting Aside
Your
I = Intellect
For
N = Natural Impulses

With that in mind, an Ambassador for Christ must be immersed in the Word of God so that they can consistently look like this: (which of course looks like Jesus)

1. Attractive – One who acts with grace, kindness, and good manners and will not dishonor Christ in his conduct.
2. Clear – One who is careful with language, and will not rely on Christian lingo nor gain unfair advantage with empty rhetoric.
3. Dependent – One who knows that effectiveness requires joining his best efforts with God’s power.
4. Fair – One who is sympathetic and understanding towards the opposition, and will acknowledge the merits of contrary views.
5. Honest – One who is careful with the facts and will not misrepresent his opponent, overstate his own case, or understate the demands of the Gospel.
6. Humble – One who is provisional in his claims, knowing that his understanding of truth is fallible, and will not press a point beyond what his evidence allows.
7. Patient – One who does not quarrel, but will listen in order to understand, and then with gentleness seek to respectfully correct those in opposition.
8. Ready – One who is alert for chances to represent Christ and will not back away from a challenge or an opportunity.
9. Reasonable – One who has informed convictions (not just feelings), gives reasons, asks questions, aggressively seeks answers, and will not be stumped by the same challenge twice.
10. Tactical – One who adapts to each unique person and situation, maneuvering with wisdom to challenge bad thinking, presenting the truth in an understandable and compelling way.

I know…this is an intimidating list. I am reminded of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16 – 26) who seems content with “keeping” 6 of the 10 commandments and was hopeful that 6 was enough to assure his salvation. So maybe do a little self assessment and see if  you can manage six out of the ten to begin!