(PSALMS 126:5,6)
Joy in service. So many times, I see Christians with long faces, head down,
shoulders slumped, looking like the fans of a football team that just lost
the big game. Often when I talk to other believers, they tell me that life
is rough and serving God seems like a trip to the dentist for a root canal.
Is it any wonder why those who are without Christ aren't real excited about
"serving God." I'll tell you a secret that has worked well for me over the
years. When I am in trouble. When I have many problems all around me.
When
the enemy is attacking on all sides. My first response is to pray, then to
get busy serving God. I am a firm believer that if we are about His
business, He will be about our business. If I am serving Him, He is serving
me. That doesn't mean everything goes away and disappears. It isn't magic.
But it works because when our focus is on others, it allows God to work on
those things in our life only He can fix.
The key in service though is to serve with joy! Serving others should not
be
a task, but something we should look forward to and are joyful about. Joy
is
infectious. It spreads to others. Serving without joy almost makes your
service ineffective. How many times have you eaten at a restaurant where
the waiter or waitress was unpleasant. At times, you almost wish you could
just get the food yourself and not have to even deal with them because of
their bad attitude. Serving others should be a joyful experience, if for no
other reason because it is what God expects from us. When you focus on
why you are here, to serve and glorify God with your life, it should make
you
joyful because you are fulfilling the purpose for which God created you.
I am going to leave you with these thoughts today to ponder and pray about.
Do you serve with a joyful heart? Do people see your service as something
you do grudgingly or something you do joyfully? Joy is something you can't
buy and something most people long for each day. Have joy if you know
Christ
because your eternal destination in heaven is established. Have joy when
you
serve Him because that is part of the reason God created you. Show those
you
serve joy because they will have a desire to know the kind of joy you possess,
and you can use the opportunity to tell them that kind of joy only comes
from
knowing Christ as your Savior.
I love you, and am praying for you today. Never think it is a burden when
you email me your special prayer requests. It is a joy on my part to serve
you. It is no accident you are reading this devotional, it is no accident
that God is speaking to you about the problems you are facing. God can
speak
to us in many ways, through many people. I am hear to help you, pray for
you, and see you be victorious over the things in your life keeping you from
enjoying all of the rich blessings God has in store for your life. Let this
time of year be not only a time of joy, but let that joy be part of your
life
each and every day!
