Deeper Reflection
As we serve God and the people He entrusts to us, we often face many challenges along the way. Hectic schedules, physical and emotional exhaustion, difficult and unappreciative beneficiaries, unfair criticism and treatment, inadequate support, etc. These can cause us much weariness and great discouragement, and rob us of joy in serving God. We may not see changes in the situation as we persevere in serving God. But we can and must regain our joy in serving the Lord. How? Redirect the focus of our eyes from the darkness of our situation to the brightness of God’s beauty. He is our good and faithful God who is worthy of all our worship! The Psalmist finds many reasons to give thanks and praise to God. He is our creator, life-giver and shepherd (v.3)! “The LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations” (v.5)!“Serve the LORD with gladness!” (v.2) – the verb here is a command and not a suggestion. God doesn’t delight in our murmuring or grumbling, because our service is our offering of worship to Him. Our motivation to serve God joyfully is our gratitude for His goodness, love and grace toward us. Doing our duty without love is a drudgery, but doing our duty with love for God is a delight. May we remain in close fellowship with Him and grow in our knowledge and experience of Him through our service. Our joy must not be determined by our circumstances, but instead be based on the goodness, power and purposes of God. Let us serve the Lord with joy and gladness!