Are You Serving with Gladness?

Are You Serving with Gladness?

by | Nov 27, 2023 | Ministry, Thoughts

Serve the Lord with gladness . . . . (Psalm 100:2 (NKJV))

Let’s face it. Serving others can be hard. Difficult. Tiring. And even exhausting.

You may have started with the right mindset – joy and even excitement at being given the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Then over time, that delight may have fizzled into showing up out of a sense of obligation. Instead of serving because you get to, you may have begun serving because you feel like you have to.

Yet, God wants us to serve with gladness. The Hebrew word (simcha) that is translated in English as gladness means joyfulness, mirth, pleasure, and rejoicing – and not just a little bit of those things. Simcha suggests an exceeding joyfulness, mirth, pleasure, and rejoicing.

Serving shouldn’t be a chore. It’s not a duty or a “have to.” Serving the Lord is a privilege – it’s, I can’t believe I get to be a part of this amazing opportunity! Because remember: when you’re serving others, you’re really serving Jesus (Matthew 25:34–40).

So, practically, how do you serve the Lord with gladness? Here are three tips to consider as you examine yourself:

 

1. Check your heart motivation.

Who are you serving? Are you really serving the Lord? Or are you serving yourself?

In your mind, are you doing it because you’re worried about what others will think about you if you don’t? Or are you doing it out of an overflow of gratitude for what Jesus has done for you?

As a born-again believer, you have much to be thankful for. Because Jesus died on the cross, your sins have been forgiven (Colossians 1:13–14). You are free (John 8:36). You’re a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). And you have the promise of eternal life with Him (1 John 2:25).

Cultivate gratitude in your heart by remembering all that Jesus has done and continues to do for you. Meditate on His goodness and His love. Praise Him for who He is.

 

2. Check your fuel tank.

Have you been spending time with Jesus? If you’ve only been spending a few minutes here or there – if you haven’t been abiding in Him – your spiritual fuel tank may be empty.

As Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 (NKJV)). Spending time with Jesus isn’t optional if you want to serve Him. You can do nothing for Jesus in your own strength.

Be with Jesus daily. Think about Him as you go through your day. Read His Word. Talk to Him. Worship Him. When you do, your spiritual tank will be full, and you’ll be ready to bless the people God puts in your path.

 

3. Don’t skip weekly rest.

After God created everything in six days, He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). He blessed that day (Genesis 2:3) and set it apart as a day of rest for men (Exodus 23:12). As Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27 (NKJV)).

After Jesus came and died for our sins, we are no longer judged by whether we keep the Sabbath (Colossians 2:16). We don’t have to rest every Saturday. It’s not a legal obligation.

But the principle still stands. God knew we would need rest. He’s our Maker, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. If you don’t set aside a day to rest in the Lord, you will eventually end up frazzled, weary, and wondering why you’re doing what God’s called you to do.

So, make sure you’re serving with the right heart motivation, abiding in Jesus, and taking time to rest in Him. When you do, there will be a natural flow of His love through you as you serve others. Then you’ll be able to serve the Lord with gladness as you walk by faith with Him.

 

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Do You Need to Be Refreshed?

Do You Need to Be Refreshed?

by | Sep 12, 2022 | Christian Living, Life, Ministry

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 (NKJV))

Each year my church hosts a Refresh Conference for people who serve in the ministry. It’s a time set aside to encourage and rejuvenate those who come. During the conference, we study God’s word, pray together, sing praises to our amazing God, and fellowship with each other.

Such a conference can sound exhausting. Attending the conference necessarily takes time out of your schedule. Instead of your usual Friday night relaxation or entertainment, you’re up late worshipping the Lord at the church. And your time of sleeping in on Saturday morning? Well, it’s not going to happen that week.

Yet, when the conference ends on Saturday, people will leave energized. They’ll be reinvigorated to continue doing God’s work. It seems counter-intuitive. How can less sleep and less relaxation result in more energy?

In Isaiah 28, we get the answer. In that chapter, God gives a remedy to those who are weary. He tells us what will give us rest and refresh us.

God said,

“This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest.” And, “This is the refreshing.”

. . .

“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” (Isaiah 28:12-13 (NKJV))

The remedy for weariness is going through God’s word. That’s why hearing expository teaching will refresh you. We feel better as we go through the whole counsel of God – precept upon precept, line upon line – learning about everything God has revealed to us.

As Psalm 19 teaches us, “The statutes of the Lord are right; rejoicing the heart” (Psalm 19:8 (NKJV)). Learning about God’s ways causes us to rejoice and be glad.

When you take time to learn about God and apply His truths to your life, you are letting your good Shepherd Jesus lead you. Jesus will lead you “beside the still waters” and restore your soul (Psalm 23:2-3 (NKJV)).

The Hebrew word translated as “still” in Psalm 23:2 is the same Hebrew word translated as “rest” in Isaiah 28:12. The word means resting place. When you spend time with Jesus and let Him guide you, He will take you to a place of rest.

And Jesus wants us to come to Him with all our worries and anxiety. Jesus invited those “who labor and are heavy laden” to come to Him and promised He would give them rest (Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)).

Jesus is the One who will truly give our souls rest. Zoning out in front of the television while watching a movie may be enjoyable. But you won’t be refreshed afterward. If you’re physically tired, a good night’s sleep will help your body to function properly. Yet, when you wake up, you may still feel as burdened as you did the night before.

So, do you need to be refreshed? If you need that rest, here are some things you can do:

  • Read God’s word every day.
  • Take time to worship God and talk to Him.
  • Spend time in fellowship with other believers.
  • Be intentional about learning what God has revealed to us in the Bible, precept upon precept and line upon line.
  • Go to a church that teaches through the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse.
  • Attend conferences where you can sit under solid Biblical teaching.

If you do these things, your soul will be refreshed. And that refreshment will help you to walk by faith with God.

 

*Photo by Herbert Goetsch on Unsplash