Goodwill Ambassadors

 

Job 14:1-2 (GNT) - We are all born weak and helpless. All lead the same short, troubled life. We grow and wither as quickly as flowers; we disappear like shadows.

Job lost everything.

He lost his home.

He lost his children.

Then, to compound matters, he lost his health.

His lament in chapter 14, serves to remind us that we are here for a short time.

In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul reiterates that message.

Hebrews 13:14 (GNT) - For there is no permanent city for us here on earth; we are looking for the city which is to come.

Yes, our days are numbered.

As I grow older, the gray in my beard advances steadily upward.

I even hear noises in my joints that I never heard before.

Perhaps the strongest reminder is the increasing frequency of funerals I attend.

But for the believer, signs like these are neither cause for alarm nor fear.

We are born into this world.

And, when the time comes, we will depart it.

But unlike us, God has neither a beginning nor an end.

Therefore, his love for us never ends.

And it is that love which sustains us through our days,

And that same love allows us to look forward to the future with hope.

But how is this even possible?

Paul provides the answer in his letter to the Philippians.

Philippians 3:20-21 (GNT) - We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.

The dictionary defines ambassador as: “an authorized representative or messenger.”

And, since we are citizens of heaven, that is the role we have.

The season of Lent should also serve to remind us of this.

Not one of us knows exactly how much time we will have here.

What is important is to make the most of the time we do have.

And we do that by loving God and loving our neighbor.

Then, when our work is done, we will leave this world behind and go on to our heavenly home.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 3, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, March 10, 2023