Topic: Serve the Lord with gladness
Bible Reading: Psalm 99-102; Romans 13.
Memory Verse: ”Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” Psalm 100:2 (KJV).
Serving the Lord goes beyond being a worker in the church or preaching the gospel of Christ. It is how you use your entire body, soul and Spirit in all your daily activities. This is why Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 10:12 (KJV), “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,”
This means your mind is continuously on God in all your endeavours. And you do everything to please Him. In pleasing the Lord, it is important that you know that God knows all things as He is omniscient. So there is no room for eye service; He knows the intent of your heart.
In all you do therefore, God expects you to radiate Joy which is why part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit which you should bear as a Christian is Joy. Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
This fruit with the nine components above should show in your character not only in the church but everywhere you are present. And if you have this coming out of you at all times, you will radiate joy in all situations whether good or bad! This is why the Psalmist says in Psalm 100:2 (KJV), “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”
How do you serve God when you are in difficult situations? God expects you to radiate joy in all your interactions, that is a way of evangelizing the gospel; showing that you are full of Joy and others will truly believe that if they taste God, they will see that He is good by interacting with you! ( Psalm 34:8).
But the natural man cannot radiate joy always, you need the Holy Spirit to be active in you for that to happen and you must be born again for this to happen. If you are born again and you do not radiate Joy always, you need to get closer to God by fellowshipping more with Him, study His word and ask for a new in-filling of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer Point:
Father fill me afresh with your Spirit and make me joyous at all times in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero