Gladly!

Gladly!

Bible: Psalms 100

Reading

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness
(VV.1-2 NKJV).

Psalm 100 is one of the great songs of thanksgiving in the Bible. It reminds us that we belong to God (PSALM 100:3-4) and to praise Him for His goodness, mercy and truth (V.5). As I read the Psalm again, however, I was struck by this phrase: “Serve the Lord with gladness” (V.2 NKJV). A lot of the time I think I live for God and serve in church out of duty. I do it because I have to. It’s just one of those things. But am I happy about it? Am I excited or “glad”? One Christian writer put his finger on it when he said: “The will of God is the gladdest, brightest, most wonderful thing possible, and yet some of us talk of the will of God with a sigh—‘Oh well, I suppose it is the will of God,’ as if His will were the most awful thing that could happen . . . We become whiners and talk about ‘suffering the will of God’.”
Thankfulness is more than being pleased with what we have. It’s being glad about everything God is doing in our lives. If we’re asked to do something at church which we’re not that fussed about, we can be thankful that God is giving us an opportunity to grow and please Him. When an upset friend is taking up lots of our time, we can be thankful for the impact God will be having on them through us. Our gladness isn’t about the stuff we’re doing, and whether it’s fun or not; it’s about the God we do it for.

THANKFULNESS IS A WAY OF LIFE.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries