Serving Christ in Healthcare

Just because knowledge might be true doesn't mean that it is complete or used lovingly. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. God would have us lay aside what we know we have as a "right" for the purposes of loving and building up others.

Paul's instructions on marriage are built upon the fundamental principle that our godliness is not based on the condition we find ourselves in but in our devotion to God. For this reason and others, Paul encourages us to remain in the conditions in which we find ourselves as believers.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 reminds us that we are God's temple, doubly owned by God because he made and purchased us. We are to flee sexual immorality and strive to not be dominated by anything. Some things may not be sin, but are they helpful?

1 Corinthians 6:1-11 talks about lawsuits and begs the question of every believer: would you rather be wronged or defrauded rather than start conflict over what you believe you deserve? Our interactions with other healthcare workers demands an answer to this question often. When you are treated in a way you don't feel you deserve, do you start conflict and respond combatively to get what you "deserve" or do you suffer wrong for the sake of unity and peace?

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is addressing a specific situation of immorality within the church. His instructions can be extremely insightful for us on how we can engage with immoral people, even those who call themselves Christians, in our lives and workplaces.

In 1 Corinthians 4:6-21, Paul wants us to not boast as though we did not receive everything we have. We avoid getting puffed up by imitating him as he imitates Christ, and we can do this in healthcare primarily by being content with weakness, laboring with our own hands, and responding graciously to reviling, persecution, and slander. Let us remind each other of the ways of Christ and remember that the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 talks about being found a faithful steward of the mysteries of Christ as we serve Him and others, and serving Christ in healthcare necessarily involves being a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to us in our work as we serve patients, co-workers, and bosses.

Our identity as members of the church, God's temple, has huge implications for how we do our work in healthcare.

The things that we do can't earn us a ticket to heaven. Jesus is the only way, but our works are important, and God will reward us in heaven in very real and tangible ways for how we have served Him in this life.