Serve the Lord with Gladness

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had a not so friendly server? This person comes to your table and isn’t kind, friendly, or communicates well. They rush you to order and don’t listen to your needs. They bring you what they want to have and your requests are met with eye rolling or even heavy sighs. You try to get through your meal but in your heart you know that this type of service is not acceptable. You decide to leave a tip anyway but it’s not what you had in mind if the service was different. 

As a believer we all have been called  to serve. Jesus speaks about the greatest one being the one who serves. He did not come to be served but to serve.  

“and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” - Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭44‬-‭45‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When we lose sight of serving, we have lost sight of the kingdom of God.

Psalms 100 tells us to serve the Lord with gladness. Gladness means willing and eagerness to do something. It also means joyful. When we serve the Lord with gladness, we are willing, eager, and joyful.

We can’t do anything grudgingly. If our service is without love, it means nothing. If we hold back from serving, who benefits from this? If our hearts are not full of joy, it will show up in how we serve.

Serving is an act of humility. We must remember that even though Jesus is one with God, he humbled himself and made himself of no reputation. He served when he gave up his life. He served when he saw the needs of the people and was moved with compassion. He served and healed the sick and fed many even when their motives were not pure. He kept serving because he understood who he was in this earth.

When we understand who we are, serving is no longer a chore but an honor because we understand that we were served first.

So instead of saying "I have to serve," we must change our hearts and minds to "I get to serve." I get to show compassion for those around me. I get to meet the needs of others. I get to serve the least of these because my serving shows the love of Christ.

My serving gives people hope. My serving allows the kingdom of God to be displayed on the earth. So when I serve, I will serve with gladness.