Serve Gladly

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2

In Psalm 100:2, the word for “worship” literally means, “to serve.” Serve the LORD with gladness…that is what the psalmist wrote. Many times we forget that service is an act of worship. In fact, it is impossible to have a healthy relationship with God without serving others in some way. Obviously what this service looks like in our lives will vary with age, circumstances, and the seasons of life. But all Christ followers should be worshiping Him through loving and serving others.

The psalmist reminds us that not only are we to worship through service, but we are to do so with gladness. We are to serve God with joyful songs in our hearts. A great way to tell if you are growing in your relationship with God is to take note of how you feel about serving. Are you happy to serve others in the name of Christ? Do you see service to God as work or as worship? As our faith in Christ deepens and grows, our view of service changes so that we begin to understand it is not a duty, but a privilege…not a mandate, but a delight.

Mother Teresa, one of the greatest servants of all time, once said: “We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.” God is not asking us to change the world, only to serve the person that He has put in front of us this moment…and then the next…and then the next. When we are faithful to serve in the small things, God will use us in big ways. We may never know the impact of our service to God in this life, but we can trust His Word when He says in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

What would happen if God’s people began to see service to God as worship of God? Think of the impact we could have in our churches, communities, and the world if we were faithful to do the small things with great love.

Dear God, I want to worship You by serving others in Your Name. Please open my eyes and heart to the opportunities You place in my path today to love and serve others. Give me a heart of compassion and a spirit of boldness to share Your love with others. In Your name I pray, amen.