The Ambassador to the King (Part 1)

By Patrick Hawthorne

When the Lord gives subtle hints, it is wise to take note.  For days now the word ‘ambassador’ has been whispering about in my thoughts.  Even though I purposefully tried several times to move onto another topic I found myself being gently drawn back to the world of the ambassador.  To be honest, I knew there was a lesson that I needed to learn, but like Jonah, I was running from the Lord…not that I was afraid of what the Lord would show me, but because the subject seemed really boring.

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.

(2 Corinthians 5:20 Amplified)

Finally, when every attempt to write on a different topic eluded me, I gave into the prompting that was no longer a subtle whisper. Halfheartedly diving into the shallow end of the pool of knowledge I began my quest for understanding.

During my cursory search of the word ‘ambassador,’ nothing that I did not already know jumped out at me.  An ambassador is one who speaks the word of the king, promotes the interest of the king, and carries out the policies of the king while staying in direct communication.  Yes, I admit that I could do a better job especially with the communication part but I was doing a good job…Wasn’t I?   Still I prodded on in my search to find that one nugget I knew the Holy Spirit was directing me to.

Searching the web, I came across a short article. As expected, the article communicated the same information I already knew.  With my shooter finger on the mouse, ready to click out of the web site, I read a few lines further into the article.  That’s when it hit me.  The ambassador’s opinion has no place in communicating the king’s message.  The Holy Spirit had just lowered the hammer.

An ambassador, although they may have their own view point, is never to offer their personal opinion but to stay the course and speak ONLY the interests of the king.  As a very opinionated person, I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to learn. Immediately I saw that I tend to cross the line between communicator of the Word and communicator of personal opinion.  No, I was not changing God’s Word, but I was guilty of offering personal opinion to others (for critical life issues) without first seeking guidance from the Lord.

Course corrections, attitude changes, and pruning are all parts of growing in the Lord.  Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit is a must if we are to grow spiritually.  Many of the problems that I have had in dealing with other people – and with the Lord Himself – are that I tend to want to offer my opinion rather than to fulfill the role of the ambassador and speak the words of my Father.

In the interest of keeping the article short, I will continue this post at a later time as I learn from the Lord.  Until then, be blessed.