Blessings, Encouragement, Generosity, God's Glory, Humility, Joy, Love, Obedience, Our Identity, Relationship to Christ, Serving, Thankfulness

Serving with Gladness is a Sign of Growth

If I were to ask you, “Do you serve God with gladness, out of a heart of thankfulness for all He has done for you?” what would your answer be?  Each one of us must sit back and determine why we serve the Lord.  Is it something that is on our “To Do” list or because we “have to,” or do we serve Him with an attitude of, “I GET to serve Him!”  Is it a privilege or a duty?  Our Bible verse today says, “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:2-3 ESV)  When we have the attitude of, “I GET to do this!” it shows a maturity in our Christian walk.

I have been in churches where it was a chore to get someone to step up and help, especially in doing tasks that were not out in front for the whole congregation to see.  The people seemed to clamor for the tasks that were out front, like the worship team, being on the board, heading up a big event, etc.  But ask for nursery workers or janitorial staff and everyone would scatter.  It was very discouraging, especially for the pastor, because a lot of those duties fell upon him, and he had enough to do between preparing for his sermon (sometimes three of them for the week ahead), visiting those who were in the hospital, running to emergencies, etc., that he could very easily become burned out very quickly.

Jesus called us to be servants!  He encouraged us to be servants, and He gave us His servanthood as an example.  In John 13:1-17, Jesus washes the Disciples’ feet and tells them they are to follow His example to be servants, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:15-17 KJV)  It seems they didn’t quite get the message because in Matthew 20, James and John’s mother wanted her boys to get preferential treatment, which made the other disciples unhappy, and Jesus had to have a “teaching moment” with them.  He explained to them that they were not to be like the Pharisees and Sadducees, who liked to flaunt their works in front of the people so that they would get recognition. Jesus tells them they are to be different!  “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28 KJV)  I think we can see the immaturity of the Disciples in their quest for importance among themselves, and after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, there is a vast difference in the attitude of the Disciples. 

They understood how being a servant was beneficial to the church.  In Acts 6, there was a problem within the church where some of the widows were not being attended to properly, and some of the people began to complain.  So, they called the congregation together and had them choose seven men among the congregation to help take care of the widows.  “This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.  They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.  So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”  (Acts 6:5-7 NIV)  As the Disciples grew in maturity because of their understanding of being a servant to others and the preaching of the Gospel, the church grew.  The Disciples were able to minister to the people by preaching the Word.  Those who were chosen to help as servants in the church did so with a heart of gladness, and we can tell because Scripture says they were pleased with the proposal.

Has God called you to a ministry of helps?  Is there somewhere in the church where you can be a servant to others?  If so, serve with an attitude of gladness.  An attitude of, “ I GET to do this!”  With an attitude of joy in serving, not only will it benefit the body of Christ, but you will grow because of your willingness to be a servant to others.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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