A Thought For The Week Of February 3

"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." (2 Corinthians 4:5)  Everything we do as Christians should be directed outward. That, to me, seems to be one of the basic points Paul is making in this verse. As people who are called to proclaim and bear witness to the gospel, we need to remember to keep Christ at the centre of our proclamation. We're not speaking in order to glorify ourselves, or to show anyone how persuasive or eloquent we are. We simply want to point others to the grace of God found in Christ. And, as we engage in the work that Christ calls us to - reaching out to those who find themselves in the most desperate need - we are to do so in such a way that again glorifies Christ. We are to serve each other and those around us. As servants, we seek no glory and we expect no reward - except the reward of knowing that we serve the best interests of those around us. When I look around at the broad spectrum of the Christian faith, this basic principle so often seems to be forgotten. So many who claim to speak for Christ do seem to be serving themselves, worried about their own interests and seeking not to serve others, but to control them. How far is that from the gospel that Jesus proclaimed and the life that Jesus led? Being a servant is no fun, I freely admit. But the irony, of course, is that the same gospel that calls us to the service of others is also the gospel that offers us freedom. After all, we can only truly and freely serve others when we no longer worry about ourselves. In the coming week, let's all keep Christ at the centre of all that we say and do. When we do that, we truly find ourselves serving others - because that's simply what Christ would want us to do. Have a great week!