Saturday, July 1, 2017

The Joy of Serving

Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing.

—Psalm 100:2

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I think it’s really fun to serve the Lord. You might agree with me. I’m not saying that it isn’t difficult. I’m not saying that it isn’t challenging. I’m not saying there are times when it isn’t depleting. But I have to say that I derive great joy from it.

By serving the Lord, I don’t mean just preparing and delivering a message. I’m talking about being used by God in any way He would see fit to use me. I count it a great privilege to be called by God and to be able to represent Him. And if you have discovered this, then you know what I’m talking about. There is joy in it, and when you serve Him, you sense His blessing on you.

The movie Chariots of Fire is one of my top ten favorite films. It is the story, among other things, about a young man from Scotland named Eric Liddell. He was a great runner, and in fact ran his particular event in the Olympics. Eric Liddell was a very committed Christian, and he struggled for quite a time as to whether he should run or whether he should preach. Ultimately he went to the mission field and served the Lord, but there is a scene in the movie where his sister is pressing him to abandon his running career and start his missionary work immediately.

In response he said, “Jenny, you’ve got to understand. I believe that God made me for a purpose—for China. But He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Do you feel God’s pleasure in what you are doing? Are you living your life well? Are you doing what God has called you to do?