| Psalm 100:2 “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” Is there a difference between work and serve? Sure! They are both basically the same, but work is another word for labor. You can work for food, for friends, or for funds, but work is just…work! Serving is a specific kind of work: work that indicates a direction. You can work without regard for others, but you cannot serve that way. Serving is labor for somebody else. It will make all the difference in the world today if you are serving instead of just working!
There is great profit for you and for others if your labor today is serving. But there is a difference between just serving and serving the Lord. You can serve a person, a ministry, or a cause, but serving the Lord is something altogether different! Serving will affect the way you work, and serving the Lord will affect how you serve.
Ephesians 6:6 says servants are to obey their master “not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” If you are simply serving, the temptation will be to serve when your boss is watching or will find out. Serving the Lord is another story! Serving the Lord means “doing the will of God from the heart.”
Is there a difference between serving the Lord and serving the Lord with gladness? You better believe it! Have you ever met someone who was serving the Lord but wasn’t glad about doing it? How you serve is important, just like Who you serve is important. God tells us here to “serve the LORD with gladness.”
In just five short words, the Bible gives us a game plan for today. When you put all three parts together (serve-the Lord-with gladness), you will find a day with purpose, delight, and the blessings of God, no matter what today may bring.
“Serve the Lord with gladness.” |
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Camp Quotes… “God is interested in the changes we need to make in our lives; otherwise, why else would He take the time to speak to us about them?” -Evangelist Nathan McConnell
Prayer Requests: 1. Groups traveling home from camp tonight and tomorrow 2. Churches and individuals traveling to camp this weekend from Oklahoma, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, New York, Georgia, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, Mississippi, California, Idaho, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Maryland, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and the Bahamas |