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“"A Privilege, Duty or Both?"”

Thoughts for Today:

I love our passage today because it expresses a different aspect of Paul's personality. His pure joy in serving the Lord. He has an almost childlike enthusiasm: "Hooray! We get to be ambassadors. We get to share the message of reconciliation and to give out the good news of the Gospel!" We also are invited to participate in the same way -- we just need to be reminded that it's more of a privilege than an obligation.

One summer, my wife Sherry and I were on a week-long mission trip without our daughter Amanda. Some friends of ours watched Amanda for us. They have a large family and unfortunately their dishwasher was broken at the time. Following dinner the first night, my friend Ty said, "Okay, everyone take your plates to the sink and let's begin the cleanup. Who wants to wash dishes first?" Amid the groans from the older children, Amanda jumped up and said, "Oh boy, I love washing dishes. Can I wash everyone's?"

Life comes down to a question of perspective. Is something a duty, obligation, responsibility or privilege? Washing dishes was a privilege as far as Amanda was concerned. So was sharing the Gospel from Paul's perspective. It was one of his greatest sources of joy.

Questions to Ponder:

Paul considered it to be an honor to be Christ's ambassador. Do you? I offer this prayer for all of us: May the joy of service ignite us. May the fear of the Lord motivate us. May the love of Christ constrain us. And may we like Paul say, "No matter what problems or challenges might come our way, it is truly an unbelievable honor to be an ambassador of the King."

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.