Responsibility
I was single until age 24. Unlike many people, I was capable of enjoying time alone. I slept when I was sleepy, and I woke up in the morning when I felt sufficiently rested. In addition, I went where I wanted to go, when I wanted to go. My only question when purchasing something was, “Do I want this?” If you want me to say that I didn’t enjoy this way of life, I honestly can’t. I could do anything I wanted without anyone’s approval. Because I was a single young man, I was responsible for everything—and nothing—in my life.
Then I got married. Suddenly, my decisions about where to go, what to do, and how to use my money involved another human being. Being married also forced my sleeping patterns to change. I went to bed and woke up at a certain time, whether I felt liked it or not. I purchased items and spent money only with my wife’s approval, and many decisions now had to be mutual. Having a partner changed my life's old pattern to a new one because getting married meant more RESPONSIBILITY. The birth of our children added more RESPONSIBILITY to my life. Each one of us has our RESPONSIBILITY in the home, workplace, community, and church.
How do we live our Christian life? What is our RESPONSIBILITY? The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors . . . .” What is an ambassador? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an ambassador as “the President’s highest-ranking representative sent to represent his government in a foreign country. What is the RESPONSIBILITY of an ambassador? Merriam-Webster specifies that a key role of an ambassador is to coordinate the activities of the foreign service officers and staff in the country.
In the light of 2 Corinthians 5:20, we are considered as “officials of the highest rank,” representing God’s Kingdom in a world where we are foreigners. So we are God’s ambassadors. What a great RESPONSIBILITY that has been entrusted to us! Are we aware that as Christians, as ambassadors, we are officials of the highest rank of God’s Kingdom; we are Jesus’ representatives who carry great RESPONSIBILITY to perform the functions which have been outlined? What is our RESPONSIBILITY? We are to represent Jesus as ambassadors in this world, going and sharing the gospel with others. We have been chosen to spread the gospel to every foreigner in this foreign world. We are set apart for this great commission.
In the Old Testament, we could find similar RESPONSIBILITY given to us. Ezekiel 33:1-9 says that our responsibility is to be “watchmen” to the world. This is the Old Testament word for ambassador. God was telling us through Ezekiel that we are to warn “the lost” of the consequences of sin, chief of which is death. If they refuse to repent after receiving our warning, their blood will not be on our hands. But if we don’t warn them, and they die, their blood will be on our hands.
Ellen White wrote, “They were filled with an intense longing to carry forward the work He had begun. They realized the greatness of their debt to heaven and the RESPONSIBILITY of their work. Strengthened by the endowment of the Holy Spirit, they went forth filled with zeal to extend the triumphs of the cross. The Spirit animated them and spoke through them. The peace of Christ shone from their faces. They had consecrated their lives to Him for service, and their very features bore evidence to the surrender they had made.” Acts of the Apostles, p. 46.
The day will soon come when we have to give an account of ourselves to God, whether we have performed our RESPONSIBILITIES according to His command or not. Will we receive a crown and hear a voice saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant, . . . enter into the joy of your Master.” What will be our response?
Hiskia Missah
Editor
