The cause of Christ

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God--" Romans 1:1 NIV

In a perfect world, I would do nothing but sleep, eat, run and worship Christ. But since our world is not perfect... eating, running, and having a place to sleep requires money which means I'm in need of employment. Thankfully though, I have what I believe to be the best job in the world which is working for my local health department as the Wellness Coordinator. And while my job description might have changed a bit since the events of last year, I absolutely love what I do and I love being a part of a team that serves our community--a team that now includes countless volunteers who work our vaccination clinics, staff our events and, most recently, donate their time and expertise to coach the participants of a new fitness program the health department offers. Each and every one of these volunteers is priceless and yet they rarely get credit for their actions; nor want it for that matter. They serve merely to help others because it is their calling and they know that by serving others they are serving Christ. 

And you know, if a volunteer is defined as a person who donates his or her time or efforts for a cause or organization without being paid, a Christian volunteer would be defined as "a servant of Jesus Christ." A title that Paul, "called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God," embraced.  You see, Paul knew that his time wasn't really his. Neither were his talents or his possessions. Everything he had was given to him by God and belonged to God. So to call himself a servant of Jesus Christ was Paul's way of acknowledging that he would give his time, efforts, and possessions to serve the One to whom he belonged; to serve the cause of Christ. And you can be sure that Paul expected nothing for his efforts in this life but looked towards the reward of eternal life with his blessed Savior in the life hereafter.  

So if you were asked to define yourself today, what would you say? Would you call yourself "a servant of Jesus Christ?" I sure hope so my friend because only what we do for Christ will matter in the end. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for being worthy of our undivided service and devotion. Remind us Lord that we serve You best in this world when we serve others. Cause us to look for opportunities to volunteer that we might lead others to the foot of the Cross by doing so. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

The cause of Christ