Philip Yancey, in his book, “Disappointment with God” tells how we, as a bunch of “…lamebranes and misfits and nitpickers and holier-than-thous and stuffed shirts and odd ducks and egomaniacs and milquetoasts and closet sensualists” are the ones that God has chosen to represent his character here on earth. “Three temples appear in the Bible, and taken together, they illustrate a progression: God revealed himself first as Father, then as Son, and finally as Holy Spirit. The first temple was a magnificent structure built by Solomon and rebuilt by Herod. The second was the ‘temple’ of Jesus’ body…(the) third temple has taken shape, fashioned out of individual human beings.”
“If you want to see God, then look at the people who belong to him—they are his ‘bodies.’ They are the body of Christ.” We may be the only Bible or church that our neighbor may ever know. What a humbling thought that at any given time, God may be putting us in a position to reach others with his message of love, in a way that no one else can. Everyone is seeking love and acceptance. How will they ever find it if you, if I, never reach out to each other, in love, and live out the character of God? What if we realize that every opportunity that we miss in saying a kind word, or giving acceptance and love to someone in need, might be the only opportunity that person ever has of understanding God’s love for him or her?
I want to be ready at any moment to be God’s ambassador, to represent his character of grace, compassion, and love. Unfortunately, I am so imperfect and unprepared for such a task. It is my prayer that God willwork in me day by day, so that I will recognize these opportunities and will beworthy of such a mighty work.
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