Romans 1:1

My next step will be to break down each verse, focusing especially on the details: who said what, where they were when, why, etc. I plan to pull out at least one key thought from each verse to post on this blog. This may take two or three years just to get through Romans once...

In Romans 1:1 I am impressed by Paul's self-identity. I can think of a lot of different titles I would give myself but I don't think "slave" or even "servant" would be one I would choose. I like to focus on my freedom of choice rather than who I belong to, yet Paul is not too timid to name his owner and admit that he truly belongs to Christ. I get the sense that he is saying "I belong to Jesus Christ and He has given me this task, so that is what I am doing."

So what task is Christ asking me to do? Am I fulfilling that role? Is it really such a horrible thing to be ordered about by Christ, as His servant? Paul didn't seem to be put out by it. If Christ doesn't own me, who does? If I'm not carrying out the task Christ has given me, whose orders am I following? If Christ knows me better than I know myself, as I believe He does, why would I not trust Him to give me a task perfectly suited to who I am and what I am capable of? My reluctant attitude sometimes is like a child rejecting a piece of their favorite cake solely because someone else chose it from the table. If the One offering me a piece of my favorite cake knows me and loves me better than I know or love myself, why would I turn away from that?