Would you survive an audit?

The words above were used to describe the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg in 2010. Cynthia Stroum was awarded the post in 2009, having been a major fundraiser for President Obama. During her 14 months on the job, her staff grew dysfunctional, intimidated and directionless, not to mention unhappy. The work atmosphere was so toxic that top-level staff volunteered to be reassigned to Kabul, Afghanistan and Baghdad, Iraq.¹

When the State Department audited the embassy, they found that the ambassador’s greatest attention was paid to her own living conditions—she had staff singularly dedicated for 6 weeks to find her a suitable temporary residence in which to stay while the embassy underwent repairs;² against governmental policy, she involved herself personally in the remodeling of the embassy, and especially its bathrooms; she flew to Switzerland to recruit a property caretaker and a chef, ultimately hiring no one; she sought reimbursement for personal items; and the list goes on.

Stroum disputes the State Department’s audit that found her tenure to be a “disaster,” though she does not deny the facts involved.

What would the Lord say about your tenure on earth as His ambassador?

Again and again, the Bible says that Christians are His delegates, expatriate representatives, living abroad on His provision.

In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. – 2 Corinthians 5:18–20

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. – 1 Peter 4:10

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. – 1 Peter 2:11

See also Luke 12:13–21.

If you follow Jesus, your primary identity is not American, Jewish, Black, Mexican, or any other ethnicity or nationality. Neither are you a Democrat, Republican, Green or Independent. You are an ambassador. You are a child of God. You are a citizen of heaven.

Every Christian is a representative of Christ, living abroad.

The particular danger that faces many Christians today is the allure of wealth. Like Stroum, you can easily be consumed by attention to your own comforts and pleasures. You forget the reason why God has placed you where you are. Your enjoyment of God’s provision becomes idolatry as you become laser-focused on satisfying your ever-changing desires. You increasingly fail to tell others about the one true King, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.

When was the last time you told a non-Christian about the amazing gift of forgiveness available through Jesus?

Understanding your basic responsibilities as a Christian is much easier than any U.S. ambassador’s post. If there were a heavenly State Department, auditing your embassy, what sort of report would they write?

¹ Voluntary embassy reassignments from a European metropolis to a war zone are NOT normal.

² They found 4 out of 200 available residences, which met her desired criteria. She rejected them all.