Young or Old, We Are All Messengers of Christ

Posted on Jan 03, 2020 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Adrienne Camp

I’ll never forget my son Egan’s first parent/teacher conference. It was only for preschool, but still you never know, especially at that age, what your kids are like when you’re not around. I was a little nervous wondering if Egan was any different at school than he was at home. The teacher pulled me aside and said, “I have to tell you what Egan said.” I could only hope it was something sweet.

I learned early on in parenting that bedtime is one of the best times to have discussions with your kids. I try to put them to bed a little early, so I can snuggle up and chat and pray with them. It’s amazing what they will discuss to avoid falling asleep.

On one of these nights, Egan and I were talking about how God has made each of us His messengers. He didn’t seem too interested, which left me to wonder how deeply such discussions go. That night I said goodnight and completely forgot about the conversation.

His preschool teacher told me Egan pulled her aside and said, “Miss Bobby, my mom said I’m a messenger!” My heart completely melted. I was thrilled! You never know how much you’re able to sow into the hearts of your kids and those around you. We have always encouraged our kids by telling them that God can use them, no matter how old they are.

Here are some practical things we do to expose our kids to the needs of the world around them and hopefully light a fire in their hearts to be used by God:

We go on foreign mission trips with our church and missionary friends (Mexico, Uganda, Israel).
We donate food for the church pantry and soup kitchens (and volunteer when possible).
We participate in Operation Christmas Child, Angel Tree, and other organizations like these.
We participate in city-wide/local mission trips with our church.
We volunteer with different organizations to help with refugees and other outreach focused ministries.
We volunteer with Compassion, World Vision, Food for the Hungry, and others.

I’m not entirely sure why—because we fall so far short—but God has chosen us to be His ambassadors to a lost and dying world. Every one of us can touch a life around us, pointing people to Jesus, and it’s something I desperately want my kids to grasp and live out. I wholeheartedly believe, no matter who you are, our mission on earth is to know Him and make Him known.

British evangelist Rodney Smith once said, “There are five gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and most people won’t read the first four.” We are God’s ambassadors, and I pray we never lose sight of that.

In 2 Corinthians 3:2 (NIV) , the Bible says, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NASB).