"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: be reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:20

The word that Paul uses here for ambassador is the Greek word, "presbeutes." It had a couple of very specific meaning during the time when Paul wrote this letter. There were two types of provinces in the Roman world. There were those that were peaceful which were under the direct control of the senate. Then there were those that were violent, rebellious and turbulent. These were under the control of a presbeutes. The leadership challenges were so significant and the stakes so high in this kind of province that the emperor would personally chose and send a leader to be his voice and hand. Paul says that God looks at our world in all its brokenness and violence and has personally chosen us to be his voice and hands.

In a world that is chaotic and turbulent, God has chosen us as his ambassadors. God wants to speak his word through us, primarily so that others are reconciled to God. Reconciliation means to reestablish a close relationship between or to settle or resolve. This just means that we were always intended to be close to God: to be in relationship (pray, study, talk with, and walk alongside) with God but most chose to keep God distant.

The tough responsibility of being God's ambassador is that others will decide to come closer or move farther away from God, in large part by what we say and how we live. That's what this passage means; we should remember that others see us as speaking for God and that others will look at our honor as reflecting the honor of God. Will our actions today draw others closer to the loving embrace of God, or push them away?