DESPERATE AMBASSADORS
By JQuisumbing
In my email, I received my daily Bible Verse of the Day (1/13/2023) from Bible Gateway.
2 Corinthians 5:19-20
…namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 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.
What caught my attention was the phrase “we beg you”. I must have read this verse many times and I admit that I have been remiss in paying closer attention to this part of the verse. It does kinda sound desperate that an ambassador of Christ would beg {ie beseech, plead} people to seek reconciliation with God.
Why the urgency?
Well, someone who was very dear to me had recently passed away. That person, I knew with certainty, did not accept the gift that God had provided for all mankind. To this day, I am still saddened by that individual’s choice. For I know what that person will face.
And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment… (Hebrews 9:27)
I kick myself, for maybe I could have been more ‘desperate’ in pleading with that person. Am I wrong to think this way?
God’s message of reconciliation is a desperate directive to all sinful people. For they either know not the eternal danger they are facing or they just don’t care what happens. How much in danger are they in?
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and ALL LIARS, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
The desperateness of the message is not just the telling of how much in trouble the world is in. We who are enlightened must put all our sweat and effort to declare what Jesus Christ has done for them. Again, why the urgency? The truth of these verses paints a stark reality.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)
It pains me that only a few will find salvation, but yet I am not to give up, for the Lord has entrusted me with a desperate message that begs to be told.
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
Johann Quisumbing 
One response to “WORD Sent Forth #20”
Reading this verse today brought a flood of emotions and memories. The thought of someone I loved dearly not accepting the gift of reconciliation with God is heart-wrenching. It serves as a reminder to me as a Christian, and as a writer, of the urgency and desperateness of sharing this message with others. We have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation and it is our duty to beg, plead and beseech others to seek it. The reality of eternal consequences should drive us to put all our sweat and effort into declaring what Jesus Christ has done for them.
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