Serve Love With Gladness - Dr. Gerry Lewis

The past week has been pretty interesting.

There was an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate a week ago.

There was a fire at a large well-known historic church yesterday.

In between those two events there’s been a lot of craziness—which is absolutely consistent with any other 7 day period.

Maybe this 7 day period’s craziness has been more public, but we still live in a consistently crazy world.

But as I sit and ponder this morning, I’m thinking of what consistently encourages me.

The list is actually quite long, but I’ll limit it to two things.

First is daily spending time reading and contemplating God’s written revelation recorded in the Bible.

I’m not talking about trying to find some bizarre “biblical” connection to current events. IYKYK

I’m talking about daily picking up my Bible and reading the chapter that follows the chapter I read yesterday and seeing how God chooses to guide my thoughts on how I’m supposed to live in the context of the craziness.

This morning’s chapter was Zechariah 3. Here’s the verse that spoke to me:

“And on that day I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, promise everyone will invite one another to sit under the shade of his own vine and fig tree and be at peace” (Zechariah 3:10, The Voice).

My pondering: There will be a day when hospitality and peace are the modus operandi of the people of God rather than fear and suspicion.

What if we were to start acting like citizens of the Kingdom of God now?

How can I focus on being an agent of peace and loving welcome for those who need someone to “neighbor” them?

The second thing that consistently encourages me is the daily reading and singing of a hymn (my definition of “hymn” is a song that appears in the hymnal I’m using during this season of life).

Today’s song was “Serve the Lord with Gladness” written by Baylus Benjamin McKinney in 1931.

Side note: I found out on Wikipedia that his home church was Bisteneu Baptist Church in Webster Parish, Louisiana.

So, he could have been known as Bisteneu Baptist Bard Baylus Benjamin McKinney.

Is it any wonder he was known as B.B. McKinney?

Sorry about that. I couldn’t resist that digression.

The verses of the hymn:

1 – Serve the Lord with gladness in our works and ways

Come before His presence with our songs of praise

Unto Him our Maker we would pledge anew

Life’s supreme devotion to service true.

2 – Serve the Lord with gladness thankful all the while

For His tender mercies, for His loving smile:

Blessed truth enduring, always just the same,

We will serve with gladness and praise His Name.

3 – Serve the Lord with gladness, this shall be our theme,

As we walk together in His love supreme:

Listening, ever listening for the still, small Voice,

His sweet will so precious will be our choice.

The chorus:

Serve Him with gladness, enter His courts with song;

To our Creator true praises belong:

Great is His mercy, wonderful is His Name.

We gladly serve Him, His great love proclaim.

The verse that spoke to me today was verse 2.

We REALLY need this reminder. The attitude with which we serve speaks just as loudly as our words and actions.

Gladness is not a phony happiness that lives in denial of real challenges. It’s a deep, grateful, non-anxious hope in the sovereign loving mercy of God.

How can I live today in such a way that people see in me that deep, grateful, non-anxious hope?

How about you?

Be amazing today, my friend.