Are you serving God with gladness?
Gladness begins with gladly receiving the gospel by responding to it. “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41). The Gentiles in Antioch of Pisidia, hearing the truth of the gospel, were “glad and glorified the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:48).
Christians are glad about being saved, and it cannot be hidden. “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:46-47a). The Philippian jailer “rejoiced”, having believed in God with all his household (Acts 16:34).
Christians are glad to worship. They are like the psalmist wrote in Ps. 122:1, who was glad to enter into the presence of the Lord in worship: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Ps. 122:1). Christians gladly devote themselves to hearing more of the gospel, to sharing with other Christians, to partaking of the Lord’s Supper and to praying together with the saints. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42)
Christians are glad in the face of persecution, for they remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). And thus the apostles, having been beaten and commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus, “departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). Such gladness is not a natural inclination, but it can be attained.
And Christians are glad to serve others. The apostle Paul leaves us an example when he writes the Corinthians, “And I will very gladly spend and be spend for your souls, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved” (2 Cor. 12:15). Gladness in serving when it is unappreciated is difficult, but with strong effort and God’s help we can follow Paul’s example.
There is no place in a Christian’s disposition for indifference. There is no place for a Christian to worship and serve as a bore and a chore. There is no place for a “do I have to?” attitude. Truly, Christians, above all other people, should be serving God with gladness! Are you?
– Larry Jones