Are You an Ambassador for Christ?

Ambassador

am･bas･sa･dor | am'basәdәr, -dÔr | noun ● a person who acts as a representative or promotor of a specified activity. [line] As Christian women, it is often easy to get caught up in life and rarely think about who we are and what our purpose on this earth is. Why are we here? What is our calling? What is our mission? Most of us live extremely busy lives: work, family, church, extra-curricular activities, hobbies, responsibilities, volunteering. The to-do lists often seem endless. Yet while we are busy with being busy, busy with just life itself, I have been asking myself a few questions lately that I would like to share with you:

1. Are you an ambassador of Jesus Christ?

Do you act as a representative of His gospel, of His love, of His will? Do you present yourself as a woman who seeks to promote His cause, His purpose, His salvation? "And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" {Esther 4:14 KJV} When you are busy dropping kids off at school, grocery shopping, running errands at Target, are you keeping your eyes open for ministry? Are you noticing the people in your environment who seek you out with their eyes because they sense Jesus in you? Are you reaching out to people in your community on a daily basis, or are you so intent on what you are doing that you fail to be Jesus to them?

2. Are you an ambassador of holiness?

Do you present your outward appearance to the world in a manner that is in direct line with Biblical standards to be "set apart" from the world so that Jesus is seen through you? Do you speak in a manner that aligns yourself with Christ? Are your thoughts and speech reflective of Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." {KJV} Are you making sure that every time you are in public, your appearance and conversation are representing Jesus so that the world so they see, feel, and experience purity, justice, honesty, and virtue?

3. Are you an ambassador of peace?

Do you strive for those around you to feel strength and contentedness, or do you gossip and create strife among your coworkers, family, and friends? "Follow peace with all [women], and holiness, without which no [woman] shall see the Lord." {Hebrews 12:14 KJV} Do you encourage those around you to live peaceably with one another? Do you seek to give positive encouragement or do you fall into the trap of being negative and pessimistic with every mishap? [line] "Perfect" is a societal buzzword for millennials these days; I know, because I overuse it constantly. That dress is "perfect," those shoes match "perfectly" with the "perfect" dress; meeting up for coffee at 2pm is "perfect," and this scone is a "perfect" complement to this "perfectly" crafted espresso. We seek for perfection, and when we find that perfection is unattainable, we become dissatisfied and unhappy with whatever is imperfect. Our lives are constantly a work in progress, and failures are sure to come; storms will come and unplanned events will certainly catch us off guard. But in the midst of all this, we still are called to be women of integrity, purpose, and ministry. We are not called to plaster a fake smile on our tear-stained face, but we are called to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ; we are called to speak to the broken hearts, comfort those who mourn, rejoice with those who are blessed. We are not called to go through life as plastic mannequins with a perfect facade, but we are called to be present in the lives of those we encounter each day. This does not mean we have to be "yes" people, always saying yes and filling our already over-packed schedules until every single line in the planner is full, but we are called to love, serve, and understand.

We are called to be ambassadors of the King; representatives of His Kingdom; promoters of His love, salvation, and peace.

That is our purpose, our mission, the reason for which we were created. I am not perfect; I make mistakes. I have much to learn, but in what I have already learned, I know that my life is not my own for it is to be lived with the sole purpose of being an ambassador of Jesus Christ. 


Nichole Criss is a music instructor & entrepreneur. She loves to read, travel and write. Visit her website and be sure to follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

{JJ&M} journaling series: I'm ready

 

{entries are edited to protect names & identities}

1/22/08

I know what I need to do. I've known it all along.

It's the follow through that's the hard part. But I must get through.

I have to.

My choices and actions affect a lot of people.

We have power in what we do. Or what we don't.

I'm finally ready to say yes to this commitment with the Lord all the way.

Friday night helped in so many ways.

Watching K get the Holy Ghost, it was amazing. I've never experienced anything like that.

Receiving it is not the same as watching some one who is a good person get touched by the Lord's Spirit. I was so happy for her.

I wish I could help others. I'd like to help others. Children especially. Or teens.

I can feel a pull inside of me gearing towards what I'm suppose to do.

Only He knows, and that's ok. What's good for the Lord is good for me.

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Answered Prayer and a Giveaway

I am so excited, I cannot even contain myself as I write this post!!

Many, if not all, of you know that I have written a book called "The Palace Keepers: Protecting the Purity of the Heart." In a nutshell, the book is non-fiction and I share my testimony on how God plucked me out of a relationship that was saturated with sin, guilt and shame and placed me into His marvelous hands.
I also talk about the lessons Jesus taught me through my journey towards salvation; mainly emotional purity, the foundation of the book.

Jesus showed me that in order to be pure physically, we must first be pure in our hearts. To do that, He has called us to be our Palace Keepers, protecting every inch of our palaces. This includes our minds (the Gate), our thoughts (the Courtyard), our decisions (the Foyer), our hearts (the Throne Room) and our bodies (the Grounds). It is our job, not only to watch what goes in and out of our palaces, but to place King Jesus firmly on the throne, in the Throne Room of our hearts, that He may lead us and give us guidance as we do our jobs.

God has been amazing and wonderful! My first run of books have almost sold out, in less than a year! Wow that blows my mind as a new author. Remember when I shared my adventures in this post? Seems like forever ago.

Well, the Lord has made a way for me to order more books and they are almost here! I sent in my re-order form last week for 100 books. Normally, it takes at least 20 business days for the books to print, then another 5 or so for shipping. Well I have a conference I'm attending next weekend so I prayed in faith that God will somehow make a way...and did He ever!
Not only were the books printed in 7 days, they were shipped as well! They are scheduled to arrive this Tues...that is less than 2 weeks from when I sent the form and exactly 3 days from the conference!! Praise God!

I am giving you all a chance to pre-order your copy online now, so you can receive your book as soon as possible. All pre-orders will receive a free bookmark. As a special Christmas promotion (it's not that far away, ahhh) starting now until the end of the year, if you buy more than one book, shipping is free! I will also be doing special gifting, so if you would like that second book shipped to a different address for the holidays, let me know in the message to seller their name and address, and I will wrap it up nice with fancy paper and a note, and ship it for you! Pretty sweet huh?

Also, I thought it would be cool to give one lucky winner a free E-book edition of "The Palace Keepers" below! This is compatible with any PC or tablet device. The giveaway will go through the weekend and end on Monday, the 15th at 12am. Thank you all for your support and love! I'm so blessed by everyone and I want to give back. May the Lord guide you today & always xoxo

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Hello Emotions, meet Postpartum

I was wondering what was going to write about today and then it hit me...a flood of emotions, that is.
Ugh.

Don't you just wish sometimes you had an off button? I mean, I know most of our husbands do {well I'm sure mine does anyway, and I don't blame him!} but REALLY?! I'm happy-go-lucky one minute, then stinkin' evil-selfish-bratface the next! {If that was a super hero name, I'd totally be it. Not sure what my powers may be though...somewhere along the lines of crying because the house is a mess and public humiliation for my family...}

I was SO in denial when the doctor had warned, while pregnant with David, that after birth I could experience some serious depression and emotions. Who, this girl? *insert two thumbs here* pshhhh.
Yeah well, guess what? That stuff is NO joke!! I'm already an emotional person {duh female} but depression? me? No way, I had thought. I never really was depressed a day in my life! {aka 28 years} I tried to be positive, upbeat and happy!

Lately though the emotional roller coaster seems to have gone from medium to flippin' insane in 0.5 seconds. I know it "will pass" but man, when you are in this heavy tornado of tears and meltdowns, you can't help but feel so lonely like you are the only person that has EVER felt this way. Why do we think that??! I mean, right?! How many women in history have gone through things, and for whatever reason, we always think (because it's happening to innocent us) that we are the only ones that have experienced something haha
I am so glad to know that Jesus understands what I'm going through. No, not because He was pregnant and had postpartum...even worse, He died on the cross and suffered shame! Christ felt emotions too; loneliness, despair, maybe even defeat at times...but you know what? He prevailed!! There was victory!!

So today, as I'm sitting here debating about whether I should cry or laugh, Jesus is also here by my side, saying:

"Daughter, my heart was heavy once too. I can feel what you feel; see what you see. Just hold on and take things slow. Hold my hand, because I'm not going anywhere. When you feel alone, remember my Voice and be soothed. When you feel overwhelmed, remember I carried the cross and died to lift off those burdens. When you are sad, troubled, confused, emotionally drained...remember with me, you shall never be faint or weary, as long as you run under my wings! I love you and will never let you go!"

Man, we serve an awesome God!!

Don't forget to thank Him today

{even if you are a evil-selfish-bratface}

Dear David... {Letter #1 Girl Advice}

I've decided I love blogging about my life and what great things God is doing. One HUGE blessing is this little jumping bean inside my tummy :) His name is David and I can't wait to meet him! 5 weeks left, ah! So I want to start a series of letters to my little baby boy, that hopefully one day he will get to read and (hopefully) be inspired by (if not embarrassed by)

DEAR DAVID...

You don't know this yet but you will be what this world calls a stud. How do I know this? Well, just look at your parents! Actually, the idea of girls swooning after my baby boy is making mommy a little nervous. You see, whether you want to admit it or not, mommy is a girl. I know I'll be known for wiping your bottom and runny nose but I know firsthand how girls can be when it comes to boys. Believe me, we can be crazy & nuts!

So I'm going to list some things you should always be careful of when it comes to the ladies. Remember, mommy loves you and wants to protect you. I don't want you to grow up in a bubble but I want my boy to be smart and aware...okay? Okay.

1.) Watch your words

David, girls will hang on every word a guy says if they like them. Please, for the love of Moses, be careful what you say to a girl especially if you know she likes you. Don't make her feel like you like her back if you don't BUT don't be mean either. Be the nice little boy Jesus called you to be; a sweet gentleman with sweet words.

2.) Respect her even if she doesn't respect herself

Many girls don't understand good or bad. That doesn't mean you can go ahead and abandon what we've taught you about respecting girls. They are princesses of the King and need to be treated like royalty. Speak kindly even if she speaks foul. Respect her entire palace: mind, thoughts, decisions, heart and body...not just what SHE will allow...respect all of it! Sometimes girls act on emotions and will think they have to say or do certain things to get a guy's attention. Always remember this: one day, she will be someone's wife...so treat her like she's already taken.

3.) Play nice

Boys can play rough with one another, I know that. You will witness daddy and uncle Nikko probably wrestling in the living room or being really competitive during a session of Wii boxing. When you play with girls, you can't play with them like that. Sure playing games are fun, I'm not being negative, son. Just remember that your tolerance of this sort of thing is wayyyy different than a girls. It's not that we are weak and helpless...you know your mommy is definitely not! It goes back to the respect thing; she's still a lady and you cannot hit her even if she is beating you like crazy in Mario Cart.

Here are some quick things to keep in mind also:

- Use your manners, even if she belches like a 200 lb man

- Only call her names that are classy & flattering, not vulgar & disrespectful

- See her as your fellow sister in Christ not just a pretty face

- When she cries, don't laugh. Ask her what is wrong and listen.

- A kiss is one of the most important things to a girl's heart; save it for the right one!

- Dating is like an interviewing process for marriage; be selective

- If she's angry, that means her feelings are hurt. Make things right.

- No spitting, biting, hitting, throwing, shouting, slapping, kicking etc. or you will have to answer to daddy!

I can probably go all day and list things for you. Hopefully, I can be the type of mother that you admire and look up to as an example of what a godly woman should be. I want you to come to me with any questions you have about girls because, after all, I still am one :)

Love Always,

Mom