Serve The Lord With Gladness

PSALM 100:2 NASB
2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful
singing.

When I was a young Christian I had the wrong mindset about
serving God. I didn't want to go to Hell so I wanted to serve
God. But really I saw God as a hard taskmaster, very difficult
or even impossible to please.

I hesitated to tell others about Jesus because I thought it was
so difficult to be a Christian.

I have since learned how wrong I was in my thinking. Jesus said
His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly Good News. God is not a
hard taskmaster! He is the most loving, patient and kind being
in the Universe. Knowing Him and being loved by Him should
cause us to celebrate and shout for joy!

PSALM 100:2 CEB
2 Serve the LORD with celebration! Come before him with shouts
of joy!

Why did I previously think those wrong things about God?
Because I was focused too much on Scriptures in the Bible that
were designed to help me realize my need for a Savior so I
would turn to Jesus.

I didn't realize I was supposed to be trusting in Jesus for my
right standing with God instead of trusting in my own
performance. I was not looking at the verses telling me what
Jesus had already done for me.

Now after many years, I realize that God has worked in me and I
am no longer the same. Things that used to appeal to me greatly
(and were harmful for me) no longer appeal to me. But this was
something God worked in me as I grew in Christ. It was not a
struggle I went through by using my will-power to overcome.

I am SO glad to be a Christian believer today. It is the most
wonderful thing that ever happened to me. It gives me
inexpressible joy to know Jesus and belong to Him.

But I am also sad because so many of my brothers and sisters
are still stuck with the wrong mindset I used to have. They are
not excited about God and glad to belong to Him. And that is
sad.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4 CEB
4 Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad!

SAY THIS: Knowing God is something to be glad about!