Ambassador

Donald Trump completed one of his campaign promises recently and announced the moving of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It's polarised a lot of people, making many very angry and others very happy.

It's easy to look on, watching a situation which doesn't impact on my own life and make judgement calls, without taking the time to look deeper into the historical, theological and cultural reasons behind the issues.

In the Bible, we read that we as followers of the carpenter are called, as Paul recounts in his letter to the  Ephesians 6:19-20 (NLT) "And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should."

Asking God for the right words, even when Paul was in prison for sharing them the first time!

We don't need to solve the middle east crisis as a starting point in peacemaking, I expect there are plenty of personal issues we need to deal with.

As Christmas approaches, we might need to ask for prayer as Paul did, for the right words, just to interact with relatives or neighbours.

More importantly, we should take note of Romans 12:18 (NIV) "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

This teaches the follower of the Carpenter that we need to accept the consequences of our actions and deal with the issues we have caused to others, by humbly seeking forgiveness.

Pray for the situation in the middle east. Don't contribute thoughtlessly to the debate. Make sure your home influence is peaceable before offering wisdom to others.










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