Outside of a particular blood-bank, a poster read, “Be a Volunteer Blood Donor.”  Just below those words, someone wrote,  “That’s the best kind.”

What a funny thought.  Certainly the best kind of blood “donor” would be someone who is actually willing to give blood, not forced to.  On the surface, this idea of a “volunteer donor” seems redundant, but in reality it may not be.  See, the thought behind this idea is about people who are actually willing to give their time and help out.  One could certainty be a donor and not “want” to do so.  A “volunteer donor” is someone who has a willingness to give this service.  Hopefully we will never have to force people to donate blood, but there are many other aspects of this life where people feel forced to do something.  Let’s explore this.

Throughout Scripture, we see the idea of being a slave/servant.  Mark 9:35 says, “…If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”  Jesus said to James and John, “…Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).  We also know that we are to be “slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:16-23).  Being a slave is key in Christianity.  It is not a stretch to assume that God wants His people to be slaves to Him and His commands.

Unfortunately, many people do not like the idea of being a “slave” to God.  What about us?  Do we ever feel like we are being “forced” to be a slave for Christ?  Do we ever feel like we “have” to go to church?  Do we ever feel like we “have” to talk to someone about Christ?  Do we ever feel like we “have” to obey a certain command?  Let’s be honest, sin can be fun.  This is why it is so appealing and hard to resist in the first place.  Do we ever feel like we are “forced” to give up these sins?   The bottom line is, we like to be in control. We like to make our own decisions.  We like to decide what we will and will not do.  We like to decide what is “right” and “wrong.”  Many of us may be slaves for Christ only because we feel we “have” to.

Here is one very important point to keep in mind:  Jesus didn’t “have” to die for your sins (Matthew 26:53-54; Philippians 2:6-8).  He was not “forced” to do this, He chose to (Romans 5:6-8).  This is why He came to us (Matthew 20:28; 2 Corinthians 8:9; etc).  He went through all of the pain and suffering because He so badly wanted to save us from our sins.  God also didn’t “have” to send His son.  He did so because of his love for us (John 3:16).  See, it’s not that we “have” to be a slave of Christ, but that we “get” to.  This is an incredible opportunity and blessing from God.  If Christ had not died for us, we would not even be talking about this.  Instead, we would be stuck in a much worse spiritual situation than we are in now.

It is one thing to be a slave for Christ because we “have” to, it is an entire different thing when we are a slave for Christ because we “want’ to.  Let’s do God’s commands because we “want” to and “get” to.  Let’s not just be slaves for Christ, let’s be “volunteer slaves” for Christ.  Why?  Because that’s the best kind.

–Brett Petrillo