Friday, May 1, 2015

Serve the Lord with Gladness!


Do you serve the Lord with gladness? Would your children describe you as a joyful mother? Would your husband say you are a happy wife? What about your friends, neighbors, and those you meet in the grocery store? Are you causing others to think that being a Christian is the MOST wonderful thing in the world?

When you wake up, sing out loud, "This is the day, this is the day that the Lord hath made, that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice, let us rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it!" In this way, you are mentally reminding yourself of what your behavior should look like. I have this verse written next to my prayer list so I read it every day, "so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" {Colossians 1:10}. We must renew our minds daily of God's goodness and our purpose in this life.

When you make your bed, thank the Lord for giving you such a comfortable bed. When you take a shower or bath, thank the Lord for hot water. Before every meal, thank the Lord for His provision of you. Begin thanking Him throughout your day and you will be unable to have a sour, unhappy mood.

When your day is unexpectedly interrupted with different plans, believe that these are God's interruptions in your life and use them for His glory. When you are stuck in traffic, He may be saving you from a horrible accident. When your plane is delayed for hours, He is still in control so trust Him. When your child comes down with the flu and you are up all night, remind yourself that when you are rocking and serving your sick child, you are serving the Lord.

When you wake up weary from not getting enough sleep, rely on the Lord's strength to get you through the day. I have had MANY sleepless nights and the Lord always gets me through. The next night, I usually sleep nine wonderful hours! He restores the years the locusts have eaten. 

When you are injured or ill, use these times to rest in Him knowing that he has you in the palm of His hand. Use this time to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of Him, to pray for all those who need prayer and show your family that you can be sick, tired or injured and still remain pleasant because you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you!

Serve the LORD with gladness;
 Come before Him with joyful singing.
Psalm 100:2