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Serve gladly
We know that we’re called to serve God, but how often do we find ourselves serving reluctantly? Do we resent the fact that we have to sacrifice our time to do something for God? The Bible tells us to ‘Serve the Lord with gladness.’ That means we should be ready and willing to serve Him, and do it with a cheerful heart. Some translations of the Bible use the word ‘worship’ instead of ‘serve’ in this verse. Whatever we find ourselves doing, we can do it for God – we’re serving Him and worshipping Him at the same time. In Colossians 3:23 we’re told: ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters’ (NIV). It doesn’t matter whether we’re at our job, studying for a degree, or even cleaning the house; if we do it for God then it’s an act of worship. The more we think we’re serving God rather than other people, the more we’ll learn to serve willingly. In 1 Samuel 12, Samuel is giving the Israelites some advice on how to live well. He says: ‘Do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart…be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you’ (1 Samuel 12:20;24 NIV). This is great advice for us too. We need to be wholehearted and faithful in our serving. Our desire should be to serve and worship God because of what He’s done for us, and for who He is. So we might be feeling tired, disappointed, or like we’d rather be doing something else, but when we remember Who we’re serving, we can serve and worship with gladness.
What Now?
Before each task you have to do today, ask God to help you serve gladly and remember you’re working for Him.
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