October 17, 2010 The Un-Perfect Servant

October 17
An Un-perfect Servant
Read Romans 1:1-4

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

HOW do you introduce yourself? I remember when I was a child how adults would ask me, “Who is your father? Who is your mother? What is her maiden name?”
Today I sometimes connect with people who know my children. Or I connect with people through what I have done. Or they get to know me for what I am doing. But I’ve never said, “I am a servant of Jesus Christ.” when I introduce myself.
Should we say that? It is a bit scary to verbalize your commitment to Christ. After all, if we say it only to ourselves, there is no one to hold us accountable. If we have an “un-servant” attitude, we can get away with it—in the public’s eye.
But what happens if we let people know that we live for the purpose of serving Jesus Christ? What if we confess that orally to God? Does the thought of committing to God publicly and privately in these ways scare you because you know you’re not perfect? I hope not.
Paul made that statement knowing he wasn’t perfect. Paul had struggles with his relationship with God. He had issues with others in the church. He wasn’t always perfect. Only Jesus has lived perfectly.
God does want you to commit to him in your heart and publicly. He knows you will need help to fulfill that commitment. He wants you to trust him to help you and to guide you. That’s what Paul did, and he is a good model to follow.


Pause and Consider: how you feel about commitment. Jesus needs that from you.