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By John | September 11, 2008
From the Word : Serving with gladness ( from Psalm 100)
”Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.” (Psalm 100:1,2)
The first word that caught my eye as I read this psalm is ‘gladness’. I have been walking with Jesus for over 38 years, and serving Him vocationally for 31 years this month! The question I asked myself as I read this is, am I serving with gladness, or out of a sense of obligation, seeing it as drudgery? As I consider what God has done for me over the years, I am stirred to thankfulness. But do I look forward to the opportunities to reciprocate and show my appreciation with gladness? At this season of life, there are many demands and details I need to keep up with, and feel like I am perenially behind. The press of life and ministry sometimes leaves me little room for enjoying the process unless I intentionally make it.
The second word that I need to consider is ’serve’. Am I truly serving Him, or am I pursuing my own self-interest? Questions like this compel me to examine my motives for why I do what I do. O that I might serve You - and not myself - with all my heart and strength and mind and soul, and to look forward to the opportunity to serve You, anticipating the open doors You place before me! May I serve You willingly and with energy, and may I serve You with a spirit of thankfulness and appreciation, with a sense of anticipation to see what You will do in the lives of people for the sake of Your name and the advancement of Your Kingdom! Amen.
Please Pray with us this week:
Over the years I have continued to be impressed with the godliness and commitment of the people God has placed in positions of responsibility in The Navigators. Last month we selected a new director for our ministries here in the U.S. The selection process had been in the works for a year or more. The final choice is Doug Nuenke, who has been overseeing the Metro ministries in major cities around U.S. cities (and my ‘boss’ two levels up). Doug has a heart and vision for those who don’t know Christ and wants to engage our culture with a relevant message on a personal level. (He also is an avid flyfisherman!) I am quite encouraged with the process that was undertaken for this change to be brought about. A video is available that provides a glimpse into the process and captures the spirit in which the selection took place. If you have the time, please watch http://www.youtube.com/thenavigators (8 1/2 minutes).
Please pray with us as Doug takes on this new responsibility that He would seek God’s guidance in his new role. And as with all major changes such as this, other positions of oversight will see changes as well. Pray with us for the Lord’s direction for the other changes that will be coming as a result of this change at the national level.
Topics: In the Word and Prayer |