In this life, we have the ability to choose who we will serve. We can serve the world, follow its practices and beliefs. Or we can serve Jesus and follow His teachings and truth. Serving is always a choice, and a daily choice at that (sometimes even hourly).
Paul became a servant of Christ at the moment of conversion and it was never an option to serve anyone else! He thought he had been serving the Lord as a part of the Sanhedrin, but realized serving the Lord meant serving through Christ: believing Christ was the Son of God and had the authority of God. Once He submitted to Christ on that road to Damascus, his life was forever changed and he became a bondservant of the living God. When Paul writes this in Romans 1:1-4, you can see the impact that Christ had on his life: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” These scriptures tell us several things about being a servant. First, as Christians we are called and set apart as servants for the Lord. This does not mean that only some of us are called to be servants- everyone of us is called to do His work. Second, the work of God through Jesus Christ can only be accomplished when the servant understands the authority of God. If there is any motivation other than to glorify God and make His name known, the believer will not be able to focus on the purpose of serving.
Take some time today to think about why you serve and how you can be a better servant for the Lord.