Whatever tasks are before you today, do them with all your heart, knowing that you are serving the Lord Jesus!
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Hi, I’m Joni with a call to action from Colossians 3.
And I bet you know this Bible verse. It says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…for it is the Lord Christ you are serving.” I love that. However we may serve others, it is really Jesus we are serving. I like to remind my friend Christian about this. Before COVID, he and his mother Irma volunteered nearly every Thursday at Joni and Friends. And when I wheeled up the ramp to my office, if I happened to spot Christian and Irma over at the volunteer table, I’d bypass my office and make a beeline to them. I just had to stop by their worktable to give greetings, or sing a song, or get a hug from my handsome young friend who loves to roll up his sleeves and help. Christian, though, has Down syndrome, and as he enjoys folding newsletters and putting on stamps and labels on envelopes, I always remind him of Colossians 3. It is the Lord Christ he is serving. And it always brings a smile to his face!
Irma and Christian understand that they are serving Jesus by helping us at Joni and Friends. You see it when they come to Family Retreats to help other families like themselves. As a 21-year-old, Christian knows he has a responsibility to reach out to other young people with disabilities, and I love that! I mean, he’s a young guy on a mission. He serves Christ by encouraging other people with Down syndrome. He even told me, “I like helping. It’s special because I get to help other people and tell them about Jesus.” And that is the best.
Now even though he has intellectual disabilities, Christian understands that there is more to his disability, his Down syndrome, than just an extra chromosome. For him, there’s more to his intellectually-impaired life than even being made in God’s image. True, that’s a wonderful reality, and we love telling people with Down syndrome, like Christian, that their loving nature reflects the image of God. But this young man knows there’s more. And so, Christian best serves the Lord by pointing others to Christ. When we offer Jesus Christ to people with Down syndrome, they see that there is far more to the story than being created in the image of God. That’s good, but what is far better is becoming the re-created child of God; it’s becoming a new creation in Christ.
What great news! Especially on World Down Syndrome Day. This is what the Gospel of Jesus offers to all people – whether they have Down syndrome or are top performers on Jeopardy; whether they use a wheelchair or can bound up three flights of stairs; whether they are blind or have 20/20 vision. At Joni and Friends, we believe that although sin has terribly marred the God-image that people bear, it can be fully restored by embracing Jesus Christ as Savior. We are in service to this powerful message. So be encouraged by Colossians again, for “it is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Today, follow the example of my friend Christian. Serve the Lord by introducing people with Down syndrome to the glorious great news that they too can be a new creation in Jesus Christ. It’s such good news on this World Down Syndrome Day! Look, if you’ve got a friend with an intellectual impairment, help them discover that there’s more to the story than being created in the image of God. Serve them well by sharing Jesus. In doing so, you’re serving the Lord.
Oh, and one more thing – I want to send you a copy of our Joni and Friends newsletter. So just go to joniradio.org. The newsletter is filled with opportunities for you to serve people with disabilities in the name of Jesus.
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