Romans 1:1

Paul, a servant (bondservant) of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

A few words that I think are important to define in this first verse: servant (bondservant), called and set apart, and apostle.

servant (bondservant): an entire post could be dedicated to the Hebrew meaning of this word, its history, and what the readers of this day would have thought when they heard it. To keep it simple, a bondservant was a slave or servant who was willingly serving his or her master.

called and set apart: these two words both point to the idea of being appointed.

apostle: this indicates a person who was seen as a delegate, or one who was sent

Paul explains that he was specifically appointed to be an apostle, specifically appointed to spread the gospel of God. By who? His master Jesus Christ, to whom he was a willing servant.

Keep in mind many of these people may have never met Paul, and many of them may know him as the extreme persecutor of the Christians in Jerusalem. With this first verse, Paul is validating his authority to write this letter to them. It was his responsibility, a task he was willing to accept as a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

This way of thinking should play the central role in how we see ourselves as God's children. Paul was not the only one specifically appointed to share the gospel. We are all called, as children of God, to live out the gospel in our own lives.

This brings to mind something I heard in our current sermon series "Intimacy with God" at church. The most important thing we are to do is, like Paul, recognize what God's purpose is for our life, and then do it with all of our heart and soul.
As we can see here, and elsewhere in Paul's letters (namely Philippians 3:9), Paul's identity was securely in Christ. This defined who he was and was evident in how he lived.

We are not all called to start churches, but we are all specifically placed in a designated place, not by chance but by appointment, for God's purpose - spreading the gospel through us. Think about all the people you come into contact with on any given day...are they seeing the Good News lived out in front of them on a daily basis?

Like Paul, let's all lift each other up and encourage each other to perform the tasks that we have been called to, as willing servants of our Holy Master, Jesus Christ!

I look forward to any other thoughts on this verse, as well as any ways this verse has played a role in your life. Most of all, I pray that anyone who reads this will take a moment to meditate on this verse and allow God to work in your heart!