So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT)
We have a daily mission in Christ, a purpose that should affect every interaction we have. We cannot serve Christ without serving others. We worship Him directly, but we serve Him by meeting the needs of those He places in our path.
Jesus shared a parable about the final judgment in which the King praises his faithful servants for feeding him when he was hungry, showing him hospitality when he was a stranger, giving him water when he was thirsty, and giving him clothes when he was naked.
When the servants said they didn’t remember doing any of those things for the King, he said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40 NLT)
Scripture tells us we’re Christ’s representatives in this world, that our lives should reflect His compassion and care for others. So how do we pray to be God’s ambassador? I’ve come to embrace a simple, 3-line prayer I felt in my spirit during my quiet time.
Dear Lord,
Give me the eyes to see opportunities for compassion,
The integrity to meet the need I see,
And the faith to leave the results in your hands.
Amen.
It’s not a complicated prayer, but it’s difficult to live out with sincerity.
Let’s take a moment to consider each section.
Dear Lord
Most of us have a preferred prayer opener like Father, Oh Lord, Abba, or Dear God. But the way we address God is significant. The most important element of being a better servant of Jesus Christ is to recognize Him as our Lord. Many of us embrace Him as our savior, but want to remain lord over our own lives. To be a true ambassador of the Kingdom, we must live in the truth that our lives are not our own (cf Jeremiah 10:23; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He purchased our lives and every action we take in this world reflects on Him. We’ll never fulfill His purpose for our lives until we openly acknowledge His right to direct that purpose.
Give me the eyes to see opportunities for compassion…
In the flesh, we’ll always behave selfishly. There are opportunities to show the compassion of Christ all around us, but we become distracted by our self-imposed responsibilities and personal desires. The first line of this prayer asks God to help us refocus what we see. It adjusts our priorities. How many times have you realized how you could have shown kindness to someone after the moment passed? The more you’re willing to see the opportunities to reflect Christ in someone’s life, the more opportunities He’ll show you. Ask Him to see others and their needs through His eyes instead of your own.
The integrity to meet the need I see…
God will equip you to meet the needs of others with a selfless and compassionate heart. The need isn’t always monetary, and the right response won’t be the same in every circumstance. That’s why it’s important to ask God to show you which opportunities He’s offering you. When we make assumptions or take action in our own power, we’ll often act out of codependency and make things worse. We need His strength to serve others with integrity or we’ll become distracted by our own agendas, explain away our opportunities, or act for the wrong reasons. Sometimes God will show you how to encourage someone. Other times, He’ll ask you to meet a physical need, but when He makes that action clear, ask Him to give you the integrity and conviction to act.
And the faith to leave the results in your hands.
This is vital for our spiritual health. As Christians, we’re never responsible for the outcome of our interactions with other people; we’re responsible for our obedience in them. We can’t change someone’s heart. Our words can’t save anyone. Even if we can influence someone’s circumstances, we can’t change who they are or how they respond. Only the Holy Spirit can transform someone’s life and soul. We will second guess every action we take for Christ if we believe we’re responsible for the results. So we must learn to surrender the outcome of our serving to His will.
Ask God to show you where He wants you to act.
Ask Him for the strength to carry it out.
Then get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit work.
That’s how we serve Christ, that’s how we witness to a broken world, and that’s how we grow our love for what He’s doing in our own lives.
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I love your three-point prayer, Joshua, and it’s one that would serve us well to pray every single day. In fact, I could probably use a reminder abut mid-day most days, too. May we be filled with compassion, integrity, and faith each and every day!
Great points, Joshua. Thank you for the reminder to ask God for eyes to see opportunities for compassion. It’s too easy to get caught up in ourselves. Being obedient and then leaving the outcome to the Holy Spirit is good advice. It’s not our job to make something happen…just to be obedient. Thank you!
That is very well said, Stephanie. Thank you for your comment and thoughts.
“He purchased our lives and every action we take reflects on Him.” That is so true and one we need to remember always. People are watching us and listening and we need to examine our words and actions and make sure they draw people to Christ instead of causing them to reject Him.
You’re so right, Barbara. Even when we think they’re not, people are watching to see if we live up to the truth we claim. May we all reflect Him well to those who don’t know Him.
WOW Josh! God is using YOU right now in writing this post. The first sentence is what He has been speaking to me lately through friends, through His Word, through our series at church and now again through this post. It just amazes me always how the Father comes after us! Thanks again for sharing. I praise God for His Word and for the encouragement of brothers & sisters in Christ!
Isn’t it amazing how God will pursue us with something He wants to share with us? It always catches my attention when God puts the same theme in front of me again and again… and again. I’m so grateful I got to be a small part of what God is doing in your life. May He encourage and strengthen you.
You’re right. It is a simple prayer but not an easily-actionable one. I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus but I know I miss plenty of opportunities to do so.
I’m going to start tomorrow with this prayer to be more open to seeing the needs of others.
Thank you, Candyce. I’d love to hear how the prayer influences you in the future. I’m sure we all miss a lot of opportunities, but I pray the Lord will open our eyes to the people he wants us to encourage.
This is a powerful post, Josh-a call to recognition of who God is, and humility to respond to what may be uncomfortable, and returning to who He is and who I am not. I need to digest and apply this. Thank you.
I think that’s a great way to put it, Marilyn. I love how you mentioned having “humility to respond to what may be uncomfortable.” That’s such a powerful image to me. Are we willing to surrender what’s uncomfortable for the One who surrendered everything?
Joshua, this sentence in your excellent post speaks volumes:
“He purchased our lives and every action we take in this world reflects on Him.“ That focus compels us to pray as you suggest. Thank you.
Yes, Jeannie. That should compel us to pray. May we all respond to His promptings.
What a beautiful prayer, Pastor Joshua and one that we all can implement. Sometimes I think we really struggle to get beyond our own needs, yet you prayer effectively and immediately helps us look past ourselves and put the needs of others first. “Give me the eyes to see and opportunities…” Oh, my! I expect when we pray this and truly mean it, God will send us so many opportunities to intercede for others. Thank you for helping me look beyond my own needs.
Katherine, I’m so grateful for your encouraging words. Thank you. May He give us the desire to see past ourselves and a greater ability to see His purpose in our lives.
A beautiful prayer. Thank you for the reminder there is always opportunity to show God’s love to others.
Thank you, Melissa. I think God will teach us how to love others better if we’re willing to listen.
Simple, but tough prayer!
My goal in life is to truly please Him. However, my sinful ambitions at times keep me from accomplishing that goal. Each new day God gives me, I start it off with Bible reading (that I might know the will of God) and prayer (mostly for others whom God has given me a compassion for). Yet, somewhere during my daily activities, I lose focus and start to veer off course.
Lord, help me to see and be responsive on my part and trust that You are faithful to do Your part. Amen
Amen, Ben. I think we all struggle with that paradox within ourselves. Our own desires and responsibilities can distract us from what God wants to do in and through our lives. Thank you for your honest response, and may the Lord answer your prayer for all of us.
Great prayer sir. Am slowly getting better at hearing God’s call to act with a servant’s heart, to be open to opportunities to show His love in this world. I struggle with the last part the most though. I see myself as a “Mr. Fixit” and if things I try to help someone don’t work out, then my default setting is to try harder. It isn’t the trying that’s the problem, it’s the trusting. I am learning to trust God’s timing in all things. He is teaching me that my service in that moment may only be to plant the seed, not observe His harvest. God’s blessings sir.
Thank you for such an honest and transparent comment. J. D. I think that’s a struggle for many of us. We want to see the harvest, even rule the harvest. But sometimes the seeds He has us plant are designed to grow in us—as we learn to selflessly serve Him by serving others, it transforms our heart and mind. I so appreciate your thoughts.
I love how you say what I so often forget, I can’t serve Christ without serving others. Sometimes, it is as simple as that. Thank you for your inspirational words.
You’re so welcome, Jessie. They often come to mind because the Holy Spirit is reminding me what I’VE forgotten, so I can identify with what your saying. Thanks for your honest comment.
This is so true, a good reminder to start out every day this way.
Thank you, Dawn.