The other day I was reading the opening words of the Epistle of James - "James, a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ." I always find it interesting and challenging that the writers of the New Testament letters referred to themselves as 'servant' or 'slave' of Christ. I think of what that means - to have every aspect of my life under the reign of Christ and to have every part of my being working towards God's Kingdom. It's so easy to get swept away by the world - riches, power, accolades, class. But I am not called to be a part of this life, I am called to be a servant of Christ. This impacts and challenges every part of me - how I spend my time, my money, my energy, and my thoughts. In fact, the "my" is even removed and it is recognized that all I have and all I am is God's.
It's so easy to get discouraged right now. I am unemployed and hurting. Although I do have some exciting news - I was called for a job interview on Tuesday. Granted, I would rather not work in a summer camp position again, it is working with refugees which would be a cool experience. Plus beggars can't be choosers and at this point, my options are not many. Anyways, I have been realizing lately that the rules by which I measure my worth are not God's. God may call me to a low paying job, ministering to those around me the rest of my life. And wealth and acknowledgement may never feed into my calling. I was reading about Francis of Assisi who turned away from a life of wealth and riches to giving away even his clothes and becoming a beggar on the streets and preaching to every living thing. Or perhaps I will be called into some really high paying job - though with my interests and gifts, I highly doubt this!
Also, I wonder.... what a difference in the world it would make if Christians -- if I -- declared openly that we are servants of the Lord? What would it be like if we were known in the world as Christians who enslave themselves to Christ?
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