Called to Serve

 

I’ve known a few firefighters over the years. Much of their time on duty is spent together with their comrades in the firehouse, but when a call comes, it’s time to go out and do whatever needs to be done. It may be a fire to put out, an accident to clear, or a medical emergency.

 

We are called as Christians to lives of service. We can’t just stay in our comfortable environment with other believers. When the call comes, we need to be ready to serve. There are many fires to fight in society today. There are many people in need of help. There are countless others who need to hear the Gospel. Not every fire can be put out in time, not every life can be saved, but we carry on because our service is measured by faithfulness and not by success.

 

When a call comes into the firehouse, there isn’t a discussion of whether the people who need help belong to a particular group or deserve assistance. Everyone receives care. In the same manner, Christians are called to serve those in need without distinction. 

 

Jesus prayed for His disciples, and for us as well, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it…..As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:15, 16, 18).

 

Somehow, Jesus’ words have been shortened to what we have all heard, “Christians are in the world, but not of the world”. In reality, we are sent into the world to serve and be a witness to the truth and not just to passively exist in the midst of a secular world while trying to remain unstained.

 

Our attitude is as important as our actions. We are reminded, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). When we go forward in the love of Christ, there is no room for pride, self-righteousness, or a self-serving attitude.

 

It’s possible to overdo our service to the neglect of other areas in our lives. I think back to the firefighters who were battling the wildfires at the beginning of this year. They worked to exhaustion, but they needed to be relieved at times for their own health and safety. We should strive for balance, letting the Spirit guide us into what we are called, and not called, to do.

 

May we always be ready to answer God’s call to go forth as instruments of His providential care.

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The individual posts in this blog have been collected into a book, Reflections From the Basic Truths Blog.  It is available for free as an E-book through Barnes and Noble, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reflections-from-the-basic-truths-blog-james-yarmchuk/1147055811?ean=2940181202702, Apple Books, and multiple other book websites. It is available for a minimal charge on Amazon and can also be purchased as a paperback through them.