Psalm 100:2. says, “Serve the Lord with Gladness” The New International Version translates that verse as “Worship the Lord with gladness.”
Paul reminds all of us that we are to present our bodies (ourselves) to God as a living sacrifice, acceptable to God and he says that such presentation is our “spiritual service of worship”.
You may never have equated serving the Lordas worship. But it is. Everything we do for God is a service of worship.
Therefore, we need to pay close attention to how we serve. Our attitude in service is extremely important and it may actually be more important than what we do.
In 2 Corinthians 9:7 The Apostle Paul challenges the Christians at Corinth to give an offering to help the church in Jerusalem. In his appeal, he makes a statement that applies not just to financial giving but to our service to the Lord. He said, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The challenge before us as Christians is to make sure that we serve with an attitude that is acceptable to God. The Psalmist says, “Serve the Lord with gladness”. You can just as easily translate his words as “Serve the Lord rejoicing.”
The word “serve” means “To Minister”. You are ministers of Crabtree Valley Baptist Church. My challenge to you is to serve, not as a sense of duty, not out of an obligation, and certainly not grudgingly – but serve with gladness, serve rejoicing, serve with the attitude that your service is a part of your worship of God.
After a trip into space, Astronaut James B. Irwin said that he begin to realize that people on earth would consider him a superstar, an international celebrity. But in deeper reflection he spoke from his heart by saying, “As I was returning to earth, I realized that I was a servant – not a celebrity. So I am here as God’s servant on planet Earth to share what I have experienced that others might know the glory of God”
As Christians, we may never be celebrities, but we are here on planet Earth to share what we have experienced that others might know the glory of God. Our service therefore is WORSHIP!
In His Love, Charles
