Reading: Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Psalm 100:2

The theme of gladness and joy appears often in the Psalms. Deliverance from the miry clay and from the fearful pit resulted in a new joy in the heart and a new song in the mouth. 

The thought of approaching God in the temple filled the psalmist with gladness. He was glad to worship in the house of the Lord. As he remembered the Sabbath day he recalled, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). The theme of gladness also filled the psalmist’s heart as he thought on serving God.

Service is sometimes equated with drudgery. Certainly being a servant to Satan is a most unhappy and miserable experience. Satan is a hard taskmaster. But this is not the case with the Lord. Service for Christ is a joyous experience. To be a servant of the Lord is a position that has been granted through grace. We do not deserve such a privilege, but such are the benefits of redemption that we are brought from being strangers to being servants and are made useful in the cause of our God. It is a position of great honour. Christian service involves serving the King of kings. In every sense it is royal work. This glorious calling comes with glorious assistance. We do not serve alone. Our Lord works with us. While we have no strength, He gives us strength so that we can do all things through Him and for Him. Such assistance guarantees success. God’s work cannot fail.

Believers serve the greatest Master, the one who gives grace and promises glory; therefore we can serve Him with gladness. Our labours may seem small. Our field of service may be narrow. Our influence may appear limited. However, as we have opportunity to serve the Lord day by day, wherever we are, let us serve Him with gladness.

“All Christ’s commands are acts of grace; it is a favour to be employed about them.” William Gurnall

Taken from A Word in Season edited by Alan Cairns, 2010. Used by permission.