REFLECTIONS

The Way of Life

Lots of organizations are in need of people like Craig. He can be found almost anywhere volunteer services are needed. He can be found reading with underprivileged children, serving meals to the hungry and marshalling crowds at sporting events. And the organizations he serves could not function without him and the many others like him.

Most of us can find times and places to volunteer our services. Those are the discretionary times without significant conflict with vocation. Those are times away from full-time jobs and duties around the home. And those we volunteer to help are the organizations with missions to meet specific needs that pull at our heart strings. Someone champions a cause, seeks financial support for it, and recruits volunteers to deliver the needs. Through charitable organizations, spiritual, social, and humanitarian needs are served. Without them our world would be a miserable place.

Churches are seen as places of worship but they are often counted among those charitable organizations. In deed churches do share some characteristics of charities; but the Church on the larger scale is neither a place nor a charitable organization. The Church is a body comprised of believers. Paul describes it this way, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)  And Peter reminds us that, “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)  So, Church is not a place we go or something we volunteer to do when time permits. It is who we are.

We can applaud Craig for volunteering part of his time to the causes that pull at his heart strings. To him volunteering is part of life and his contribution toward a better world. But we can also applaud Craig because he gets it. In everything he does each and every day, he lives in service to our Lord and Savior. For him serving Jesus Christ is not a volunteer commitment as time allows.

It’s the way of life.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org

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