Responsible Christian Ambassadors Amidst Calamities
God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid
but a spirit of power and love and self-control.
(2 Timothy 1: 7)
I thank the Lord our God for giving me this blessing of sharing this week's devotion with you. We have come across another important and iconic week in the history of humankind. And I thank our loving Lord Christ Jesus for helping all of us, including our friends and families in our countries, to cope through this time of human calamity all over the world.
Surely, all of us are being updated regularly on the current global condition and status of the spread of CoronaVirus, and the sad news from various parts of the world with increasing numbers on the boards. And it is true, the more the numbers of deaths are being shared the more is the fear that is growing in each human being on earth who has access to the news. And it is also true that we express ourselves as a response to the condition in front of fellow human beings face to face, through telecommunications, on social networks and many other available platforms for sharing. I am one of you, and I have been doing this too.
But something over the past few weeks worried me about the way we present the love of Christ in the present situation. While we are encouraging everyone to keep the hope burning, I find a lot of our friends who are believers in Christ standing away from society and showing themselves to be different from the way we receive and express the situation around us. Telling it in a different way, I find the Christian faith being shared in different platforms and the gospel that we share lack one of the basic elements of Christian faith and that is 'God's love for the entire world.' With Psalm 91 being shared everywhere, we are becoming so possessive of God's love that our hands are not wide-opening to invite everyone to come and find refuge in the love of our Lord. I found a post on a social media platform that said: "They have COVID - 19 and We have Psalm 91." I immediately asked this beloved friend, who does he refer when he says 'they' and 'we.' This is not what God meant when He said that "God so loved the world" in John 03:16.
Don't we share the gospel of love that believes "Jesus died on the cross for everyone in this world?" And the mission for us in this time of calamity is not to claim the love and care of the Lord for us alone but to work towards ensuring that the words "whoever believes in Him will have eternal life" refers to the entire world. As I was worried about and contemplating this, I remember the way in which God spoke to me through this verse taken for today's devotions. 2 Timothy 1: 7 which says, "God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control." Without fear, but with a Spirit of Power, Love and Self-Control, we are called to share the Christian faith not only by our words but by the life of example in our responses and expressions that we share with others. We are called to be responsible ambassadors of God and disciples of Christ Jesus who take forward the message of love and care in the same way God has given it to us.
Share the Christian faith through the Spirit of Power.
As believers and disciples of Christ Jesus, we are called in these days of calamity and despair to take the power that is given to us through the Holy Spirit. And what is that? Prayer. If you haven't prayed for the pandemic, for the people in the threshold, for the people who serve, for the thousands of families and friends who are already grieving the loss of their loved ones, then do not spend time in sharing how safe you are under the Lord's care. God has kept you in His refuge so that you will stand for others. He has enabled you with His power so that you will stand on your knees.for those in despair. And that is the call of the day. Stand strong with the spirit of power. Take the mighty power of prayer as your daily lifestyle these days.
Stand before our Lord our God every day for the people around you. And then, go out, share your faith, tell everyone the assurance that you feel in the Lord's care. Let your prayer be that power in you that makes you share the love and care for everyone. Do not expect a famous pastor to go to the infected areas and claim the healing but you stand before the Lord your God and ask Him to provide us with the solutions. Ask Him to bless those who are working towards a cure with wisdom, skill and safety so that they will work towards something positive. Pray that God will help every medical, social, armed force, transport staff and many other people who are working towards the betterment of the conditions. And that is what you need to do with the Spirit of Power.
Share the Christian faith through the expression of your Love.
As the conditions around the world report news of fear and despair, may your expression of love keep your fellow human beings moving towards hope. Let not your expressions only show how assured you are in the hands of the Lord about your life and eternity, but let it also be an invitation for everyone to feel the same. Include everyone in your expressions. Let everyone enjoy the warmth and grace that we find in the love of our Lord. Open wide your arms and invite everyone to come and see from where you are finding this assurance.
In God's love, we know, that there is no 'they' and 'we.' God loves everyone the same. His love is for everyone, not only for Christians. That is our beautiful belief. That is why we preach the gospel of love to the entire human race. If God has asked you to love your neighbour as yourself, then indeed He wants you to share the warmth of grace and love that you enjoy in the Lord with the people around you too. Do not try to make people feel empty by showing what you've got. Instead, you invite them to be a part of this assurance that we find in the Lord. And let your expressions of love not just be in your words but also in your deeds. A caring telephone call to one of your friends to inquire about her/his family's safety at this time would be a thousand times greater gospel than the mere sharing of posts on social media that tell the safety that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Share the Christian faith through Self-Control.
It is true, as we had acknowledged at the beginning of this devotion, that we go beyond our limits in our emotions and feelings when we realise the danger that is approaching us. And especially, for the first time when we meet something globally, we begin to have questions that keep troubling us. But in the midst of all these, let us be very responsible in the way we judge, express, calculate and share news amongst our friends and families. I recently felt very guilty and regretted beyond I have ever when I shared on social media a post that contained wrong information that was circulating on the internet regarding the current pandemic. I had not cross-checked it in more than three places and just with one cross-checking, I had shared it. When I realised that the information was wrong, I admitted it and removed the content so that it does not further damage someone's opinion about a country. I thought the problem was solved. But, even after weeks, the guilt remained in me, for as an ambassador of the love of Christ Jesus, I had failed to control my emotions and feelings of anxiety. I felt I had let down some of my friends who had that beautiful friendship with me, knowing that they could expect that Christ-like integrity in me. I felt I had failed at that moment. That one incident, even though it was the first and hopefully the last, affected the way I could share the love of Christ. Instead of helping people around me to judge fairly, I had helped a media to circulate wrong information in order to damage the name of a specific country.
This is one of the most important elements of being a responsible Christian ambassador in this time of calamity. It is true this rule does not apply to Christians alone, let us remember that our self-control over our expressions, emotions, feelings and even the sharing of our faith is another gospel that we share. It makes us stand as the ambassadors of love, where our loving friends in the society could depend on. Our faith in the Lord our God is expressed through every positive, peace-keeping and progress-oriented thought that we share. It is very much understandable that each of us is a human being and we have our instincts and our emotions. But then, what is so special about the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? What makes us different from others that people could see the message of hope, love and harmony within? That's where our self-control matters.
With God's help...
We know that what we are talking about is not easy. It has been difficult over the centuries and it will remain the same. And only with the power of God, the grace of Christ Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we would be able to do this. As we pray for the world around us each day, morning and night, let us also ask God to fill us with His love, grace and presence so that we would stand as responsible Christian ambassadors in these days of calamities and help the world to overcome the struggle by helping everyone to stay together. I pray that God will help each one of us to stand as examples of His love in this world.
May God bless you and keep you safe.
Yours in Christ,
"Make me a Channel of Your Peace"
