x

Serving With Gladness

Serving With Gladness

By: Juliet Constantine

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (Psalm 100:2-4)


Do you find joy and gladness serving the Lord? We’ve often heard the term “serve the Lord”, but what does it mean to serve the Lord? Now, David added an adjective– with gladness - which shows us how or the degree to which we should serve the Lord.

To serve the Lord is to recognize Jesus’ Lordship over our lives; and out of gratitude, give ourselves to Him to be used by Him. He owns us, and everything we have belongs to Him. We are His servants, the creatures of His hand. Knowing this, you may feel that you are a slave, looking forward to the day when you will be released. However, we are assured that we are of a special kind. Knowing this, David said we are to serve Him with gladness – we are to be joyful and happy to be His slave. As light-bearers on our way to heaven we are to reflect to the world the light of Christ shining upon us. Why? Unlike slave masters of old, Jesus is a kind Master and in His presence we find the fullness to all our joys. Additionally, He does not call us slaves but we are His friends, and heirs together with Him. He is our brother. He is good and His mercy is everlasting and His truth is relevant to all generations.

For most of us Christians, this truth we believed; but sometimes it is not reflected in our attitude when we are called upon to serve. It is sad to say even in our worship life, the gladness that should characterize our praise seems damp, cold and lifeless. Our singing, our sharing and receiving of His word, our tolerance of others seems to be a mirrored reflection of our lives outside of Church time. Even in our secular activities, at times, we seemed not to be serving the Lord, and others, with gladness. Whatever we do or wherever we are, we are to do all things to honor God, serving with gladness.

Christian Author Ellen White reminded us that “If we do represent Christ, we shall make His service appear attractive, as it really is. Christians who gather up gloom and sadness to their souls, and murmur and complain, are giving to others a false representation of God and the Christian life. They give the impression that God is not pleased to have His children happy, and in this they bear false witness against our heavenly Father.”(SC pg 116).

Serving the Lord with gladness does not mean our worship will be irreverent and loud. Quite the contrary, we will worship our God from hearts of thanksgiving, and our praise will be real. Let us leave the thorns alone that causes us to murmur and complain - wounding us; and gather instead an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving – the roses, lilies and pinks – as we serve with gladness.

Oh my Father in Heaven, I am guilty as charged. Please help me to serve You with joy and gladness always. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)

Back To Alone With God Devotionals

Suggested Video

Born Again (Part 2)
This video is from the Class D, 2007-2010, Inspirited Network broadcasts on stickam with Joseph Williams and John Spellman covering topics related to Salvation and Christian Living. Videos are in standard definition since the broadcasts were done before the studio was built.
Missionaries: Peter and the Gentiles

What can we learn from Peter's outreach to the gentiles? How did it contrast from Paul's? What can we learn from the story of Cornelius and the conversion of his friends and family? What important lessons did Jews of the early church have to learn? What might that mean for the church today? Does culture or race matter when it comes to salvation? This week as we explore these lessons we'll look at the stories of early gentile converts to Christianity.

Discipling Spiritual Leaders

God chose spiritual leaders from the, seemingly, most unqualified followers. Why? What made them the best choice? How did Jesus go about choosing the apostles who would lead His church? How should we choose spiritual leaders today? How did Jesus prepare His apostles for the challenges ahead, and what might that say about how our spiritual leaders should be prepared? We explore these themes in this week's lesson.

suggested audio

Final Events: The Bible (Part 1)

Pastor Calhoun Jr. Tele-Class C. Discusses final events of Bible prophecy.

The Law and Grace

Joseph Williams and John Spellman present: The Law and Grace. What is the relationship between the law, grace, and the Christian?

Connecting To Jesus

Joseph Williams and John Spellman present: Connecting to Jesus.

Lost Day Of History

The Bible teaches about a day lost in history. A day God designed for us to remember. This week's lesson uncovers the mystery of this forgotten and lost day.

Suggested Reading

Trading Places
Our God, who is all-wise, knew before the foundation of the earth that man would fall. He made arrangements for Jesus to trade place with us. Our Father knew that our heredity tendencies would be sinful but we could be nurtured into righteousness. We can be nurtured (through teaching and loving) back to Him. So He sends Jesus to show us how. This is so assuring, it’s not who I am now but who I can become through Christ.
Glorify And Be Glorified
Sometimes we hear a message, or might have read a passage, but the real meaning of what was read or said seems to have missed us. It might have been the same with the disciples then; but praise God, they eventually understood His messages. He came to be the sacrifice for all people; not just Jews. The hour came and Jesus Christ was glorified. When Jesus spoke of being glorified, He spoke of His death. He knew that only His blood was the true price for our ransom from sin.
The Sanctuary In Me
I love a clean space! Be it my house, car, Church, or wherever I may be - I just love when I am in a clean and well kept space. When I cleaned my house from ceiling to floor, it is so much lighter, I think clearer and I sleep better! I love a clean house, not just for Sabbath but for the entire week. Everything must be clean and in order. It makes chores on Preparation Day so much easier. It takes time, energy (a really sacrifice) to keep your space clean. But it pays. And to think Jesus’ expectation of us is similar: for us to keep our bodies ‘clean’ everyday!