I came to know Christ my first week in college at University of California, Davis (UC Davis). I wasn’t in a bad place or even seeking out spiritual fulfillment, but I was intrigued by my next-door dorm neighbor who was definitely high on something. It happened to be Jesus. After hearing him out in a gospel presentation, it sounded almost too good to be true. However, I also figured if it was true, I had everything to gain by checking it out and everything to lose by rejecting Jesus as my Savior. So, I committed to Christ and began engaging with other Christians in church and parachurch activities. I grew quickly in Christ as I learned how to worship God, seek Him in prayer and serve others in the name of Jesus.

In medical school at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), I was introduced to Christian Medical Society (CMS, as CMDA was known then). What a great organization that included my two passions: God and medicine. Why wouldn’t every Christian in healthcare want to join? I soon found out that the answer is busyness. Sometimes we just get too busy for good things, even too busy for God. Unfortunately, the most common answer I get from healthcare professionals when asked to come to a CMDA event is that they have no time, even for church much less a parachurch group.

Without commitment to Christ, we will never engage with Him enough to follow through with obedience. Without obeying Christ’s marching orders as given in the Scriptures and personally through the Holy Spirit’s leading in prayer, we will bear no lasting fruit. That’s what it means to abide and remain in Christ, as spoken to us in John 15.

When I met Angelica, my wife now of 41 years, I was impressed by her spiritual fervor, maturity and commitment to Christ. I could tell she was engaged with Christ, because she wanted nothing to do with relationships that would distract her from her devotion and service to God. She was happy to live a life of celibacy, wholly committed to Christ, and she was not interested in a romantic relationship. That set the ground rules of our relationship quickly as friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. For three years we interacted at church or on campus, and we would also go out together to minister and evangelize on occasion.

My vision for a wife was someone who would share my passion to see people come to Christ, but Angelica’s passion was to love and serve the needy and the brokenhearted. She had her undergraduate degree in psychology and was completing her master’s in social work at the time. Suddenly, something clicked, and the Lord released Angelica to have a romantic relationship with me. I promptly took advantage of the change of heart and brought her a single rose. We dated for two months before I asked her to marry me. How could I go wrong by asking the godliest woman I knew to be my wife? Within two more months we were married, so it wasn’t a long engagement. Just as in my commitment to Christ, I knew we needed to develop a relationship of oneness. We needed to engage with one another on a deeper level through love and communication. We decided early on that we would not just coexist but enjoy each other and celebrate our union with God.

Why do I say all of this? Well, God asks us to continually commit and engage in His plans for our lives, as it says in Ephesians 2:10. People often do not like to commit for fear they cannot keep the commitment. Well, if it is God who led you to commit, He will strengthen you and sustain you in that commitment (Philippians 2:13). Honestly, I feel that way in ministry with CMDA. It has been said that you get out of it what you put into it. That has certainly been true in our marriage and our walk with Christ, as He blesses us so much more than what we could ever give Him. Unless you put in some effort, the rewards are few.

As I became more committed and involved with CMDA through the years, I personally have grown tremendously while being encouraged by countless committed Christians in healthcare. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our local CMDA Fresno, California chapter and the CMDA Board of Trustees. Angelica and I have served internationally on trips with Global Health Outreach (GHO) and Medical Education International (MEI), we’ve participated in providing continuing education in Thailand and Africa and much more. CMDA has so much to offer through its 40+ ministries.

CMDA exists to educate, encourage and equip us to stay strong in Christ while we practice healthcare. Countless distractions in life, both good and not so good, lead us away from closeness to Christ and His prepared work for us. We all have a call in our lives to live in obedience to Christ, but our earbuds are playing too loud to hear it.

The world is hurting and heading toward destruction by Satan, the enemy of our souls. Individually, we must decide to stay committed to Christ; however, together we can win the battle. Let’s be part of the solution by being united in Christ, carrying His banner together. Let’s commit and engage together. David Livingstone said, “If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?”