September 25, 2007
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Making an Ambassador’s Home
I just LOVE this article that my dear friends, Kim and John, have written. Their lives have spoken volumes to me over recent years as I’ve watched them narrow their time and possessions in order to reflect the biblical mandates found in Scripture to ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness’.
I’ve tried to implement these principles in my own home. I’m continually amazed at the enormous amount of blessings (STUFF) that I’ve acquired over the years. But, I’ve found that owning things comes with a price tag. There is time involved in the dusting, cleaning and washing of items in my home. Some items are worth the time… others are not. With that commitment also comes the realization that something else is going undone. I’ve had to ask myself if those things ‘undone’ are the Lord’s commands and His priorities.
I’ve gone through all of my possessions twice with each of our moves over the past 10 years and rid our home of so many things that had the potential to steal my time by dusting and caring for them. I’m in the middle of that process again as we possibly face another move. As a result I do find that I have more opportunities to minister (if I will make it a priority in my life).
I’m still trying to find ways to walk this principle out in my life and home. I’d greatly value your input. Have you ever thought of your home as an ‘ambassador’s home’? Is this concept new to you? Do you find yourself spending way too much time in the upkeep and care of your home and as a result less time in ministering to those the Lord has placed in your path? Do you feel guilty because you can’t find the time to fulfill many of the Lord’s commands in 1 Timothy 5:10-15, Titus 2, etc.? What think ye, ladies?
First Entry
Just introducing a thought here to begin kicking around from time to time. It’s something we’re keenly interested in and have been thinking through for years since volunteering a little of our time at a missions organization.
The questions we’re challenging ourselves with are these:
If we were leaving our home country to go to another country to live as missionaries and ambassadors for Christ – knowing we would be there for the specific purpose and priority of leading people to the Lord, discipling them, planting churches, and pouring out our lives for them – what would we need to take with us? What specific list of things would we come up with to prepare our home and our life for this? (This assumes that only true necessities to fulfill the above would be able to be transported to the new place.)
After coming up with that list – the next challenging questions:
Do we have more than those things in our home today?
If so, what are they, and why do we have them?
What priorities and purpose in life do our possessions show we have?
What changes in our home are we willing and able to make toward the goal of making our home an ambassador’s home right where we are today?
We don’t live a particularly austere kind of life (as in severe, without ornament or adornment), but we have been paring down for years (more on this at another time). We’re still far from being down to nubbins, but we are aiming at a greatly simplified way of life.
We work a lot, study a lot, and play a lot, and are extremely grateful for the time in history our Lord has placed us, as well as our location and the abundance of things He has given us to live our life. We know we are exceedingly blessed!
But we have some goals, and we’re thinking through certain issues related to those things we have and the time we spend on their upkeep, what our purpose in life is (or should be), and what our priorities are – especially (for these posts) as pertains to our home.
Second Entry
There have been moments in the midst of our country’s most recent war (in Iraq) when our kind Lord used something to remind us that He, His kingdom, and His agenda are what we’re to continue concentrating on (and increase in).
One of those moments came while watching an interview on a public television station of a gentleman who was an ambassador from another country. He was asked what he thought of this and that.
What he said immediately caught our attention. He said it really didn’t matter what he thought, because he was there to represent his home country’s positions to the host country he was in, so that his home country would be better understood.
We knew this is how we as Christians should be living and responding to others since we’re called to represent our King Jesus here on earth. We’re His ambassadors, sent out to represent Him, to speak of His concerns, and accurately convey His view on things.
These are excellent thoughts to follow through. The reality of actually being Christ’s ambassadors – which we are – forces us to evaluate our life, how we live it, and how we respond to others in view of what Christ’s ambassador ought to look and sound and act like.
What things can (and should) we do to accomplish an authentic ambassador’s life?
© 2007 John and Kim Namestnik www.givengrace.com
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Comments (10)
I have never really thought of my home in that way. You’ve left me much to think about.
Blessings ~ Gina
I have been browsing and cathing up on your site. It is a great blessing to me to read your site and I strive to apply these teachings to my life. Thank you for this.
RYC: I have read the book and shared a lot with Jeff when we read it about a year ago. I will do so again.
I think the failure at the interview, and our finances sinking has him feeling as if things are hopeless as he’s unable to provide for our basic needs.
Thanks for praying for him!
I think a lot of the “clutter” in our home would come from children’s toys….every so often I go through and downsize, and it’s so nice when it comes time to pick up.
As far as what to take when going as missionaries and if we should have so much “stuff” even if we’re just here…I had to think of how our effectivness would be accomplished if we lived in another area where they didn’t have much, but came with all this “stuff” we could do without. We probably would have a hard time getting through to the people. But on the other hand, the “stuff” in itself is not necessarily wrong, as long as we keep a good balance on it…like are we way overspending when we really don’t have the money, just to decorate? I also think in our culture, a warm, inviting moderate home is nice and welcoming to come into, and gives it a cozy appearance. I guess once again there needs to be a balance to what we do, and consideration for what culture we may be surrounded by.
I don’t think the goal is to not have a comfortable or homey place but to really evaluate all we own and to see if it may be stealing time that could be used in obeying direct commands from God. I’ve experimented at my present home and tried to simplify my rooms in order to make my cleaning time less and it’s really worked. With less things on my counters and tables I can take a dust rag to it in no time. It takes less time to keep things uncluttered if I have a ‘place for everything, and everything in it’s place.’ I still have pictures on my walls and some decorations. It ‘feels’ like home.. yet I am not spending as much time moving stuff and dusting it. Does that make sense?
I have never liked “stuff “. I love to keep it simple to clean. But…….I have to work at not feeling inferior to others when I wallk in their home to a highly decorated interior that is sooooo pleasing to the eye, and then when others come to my home and it’s VERY simple. My thots need to equal the heart as they can be the sum total of my actions. Thanks for continuing to stir our thots.
Hello Georgene! Thanks for stopping by! May we be willing to surrender all that He asks, that He may be desired, first by us, then by the lost as we reflect His glory. May we be salt and light, pleasing to Him. grace and peace be multiplied unto you, IN Christ Jesus, our precious Saviour and glorious Lord!
I forgot to say, I don’t know why the music didn’t play, it worked for me. The song is changed now, so hopefully that one will work? sorry about that! Lois
Lots of good food for thought here–some things I’ve never thought of before. Now, if I could just HIRE someone to come and declutter my house, I KNOW I could keep it that way….but when to actually go through stuff? That is the question. And seriously, I know you’re not talking about just clutter but possessions that seem to possess us, instead of the other way around. That’s the important thing I read into this, and that’s what I’m taking from it.
Thanks for this post- it is very good. I like what John Piper says about having a ‘wartime mentality’. I pretty much keep that all the time. Just holding everything with an open hand. There should be nothing really in this world that we are not willing to let go of- and if we are unwilling, it’s usually an idol to us. There is something wonderful and freeing about ‘simplicity’. The more you have, the more you have to worry about
Blessings, Chanin