The Call to Servanthood
Galatians  5:13

Three New Testament writers opened their epistles in a similar way: "Paul,
a
bondservant of Christ Jesus." (Romans 1:1), "Simon Peter, a bond-servant
and
apostle of Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1), and "James, a bond-servant of  God
and the Lord Jesus Christ." (James 1:1). These men whom we call great for
their
unfailing commitment to the Gospel viewed themselves as humble workers.

God calls each believer to a life of service, just as He called these men.
This should be an exciting prospect, but too many people get hung up on the
belief
that they cannot be "as good" as the apostles of old or the preachers  and
missionaries of today. A popular idea in the church is that the Lord's
servants
are those doing full-time ministry but that everyone else is simply  trying
to live well. Nothing could be further from the truth. From God's
perspective,
you and I are the same as Paul, Peter, and James: servants with  important
kingdom work to do.

Some kingdom jobs look more important than others, but that's only because
we evaluate with human eyes. Every work that advances the Gospel or serves
a
need is valuable, from cleaning the church or preaching to evangelizing or
recording a praise album.

Not every person can be on a foreign mission field, but we all can share
the
Gospel with a neighbor. Some people can sing in the choir; others can put  a
dollar in the hand of homeless man. God invites us to do His work in the
world, whether the task is great or small--and we do it by serving our
fellow
man. What is He calling you to do?


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