Job descriptions are very important to us as guys. We want the facts. Tell us what’s expected, so we don’t get surprised. Spell it out. Make it clear.

When you take a realistic inventory of your life, you will probably find quite a few jobs . . . and they all come with descriptions . . . and expectations . . . and pressures. You may even have more than one job description—at your job. You have one at home during the week, but that may change on the weekends:

• Handy man.
• Coach.
• Chauffeur.
• Counselor.
• Chef.
• fill in the blank______________

You probably have a job description in a number of your friendships.

• Fix-it guy.
• Move-it guy.
• Geek-it guy.
• “That Guy”

Play a sport? Serve at church? The result: lots of hats, lots of roles, lots of expectations, and too often, lots of pressure. Pressure to perform. Even the commercials about our sexual role call it “performance.”

Well, while you’re being overwhelmed, thinking about all your jobs, I’m going to throw another one on the pile. Well, actually it’s not me—it’s God, communicated through the Apostle Paul. But, maybe this job description will help the others make more sense.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. —2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Gentlemen, God has given us a job description that usurps and overrides all the others. Whether we feel worthy, qualified, or deserving of God’s calling, He has called us to be . . .

1—His ambassadors.

2—His messengers of reconciliation.

3—His righteousness.

His reps to the world. His truth is marching on—through us! Through you!

So, the next time you’re overwhelmed, confused, and beaten down, fall back to the one job description the Creator has given you—to represent Him, His message, and His righteousness. Through Him to all.

That will change the way we approach all the other jobs and roles—to love our wives, love our kids, love our brothers, work, serve the church, and deal with people. We no longer represent us, but Christ. It’s no longer our message to get across, but His. That’s a game changer. That’s a new job description. So, let’s just scrap all the others and go with this one.

 Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. —Galatians 2:20 MSG