I was reading this morning when the word “amateur” came up in a particular sentence. I have read the word hundreds, if not thousands of times but rarely have I stopped to think about its etymology. It finds its origins in ancient Latin, amÄtor, and means “lover”. Hence a modern day amateur is one who does something solely from the motivation of love. They are not motivated by monetary remuneration as a professional might be but they do what they do as an overflow of passion from their heart. They do it because they love it.
As I contemplated the roots of these seven letters I kept thinking of how we as Believers should always seek to be “amateur Christians” and never fall into the trap of being a “professional Christian”. It is my opinion that too many today predicate their living for Christ based upon the benefits or blessings they will receive. (What’s the pay back?) Please understand, I am not saying that there are no blessings or benefits in serving our Savior but those should not be the motivating factors that direct and drive us. We should serve Him because we love Him. We should worship Him because we love Him. We should live for Him because we love Him.
To be called an amateur Christian is not derogatory or negative but a very positive compliment.
Oh, how we need more amateurs in a world of professionals.
