Thankful, Day Thirty-Six

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

There is no use grumbling in the service of the Lord. The Bible gives us several examples of whiners and complainers, and it never turns out well for them. Over a million Israelites died in the wilderness during the 40 years of their complaint, consigned to die without a homeland because of their dissatisfaction and distrust of God. So we might as well serve the Lord with gladness.

Think about this: The joy of the Lord is our strength. Laughter is good as medicine. A happy heart produces a bright countenance. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. Happy is the man whose God is the Lord. Serving the Lord with gladness can only be to the benefit of our health and our life.

I'm happy to be serving the Lord, and thankful because there is no better satisfaction to be found than in hearing the the "well done" of the Lord.

I'm happy to be serving the Lord, and thankful because there is no other work that is greater or more rewarding than this one.

I'm happy to be serving the Lord, and thankful because I have seen the results in other lives of not serving the Lord, and I'd rather take my chances here!

Thank you Lord, for the privilege of serving you.