"Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing." (Psalm 100:2)
Is it always a joyful experience to serve the Lord?
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, in his second letter: "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia; that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life." (2 Corinthians 1:8)
We don't know just what happened to Paul at Ephesus, but it was bad enough, that these hardships were life-threatening (v.9) How can we have joy in serving Jesus, when we have to go through experiences such as this? It is worth it, to go through such hard times in the service of our Lord?
Jesus was honest with His followers in Matthew 16:24. He said that to follow Him, was to deny oneself, take up one's cross, and follow Him. What joy is there in that?
Why did the Apostles after being beaten, and commanded to stop speaking in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:40) depart from the presence of the council, rejoicing, that they were counted worthy to suffer shame of His name." (v.40)
The clear answer is that they loved Jesus. They loved what He had done for them on the cross. He gave His life, and so they were willing to give theirs. There was joy in that! Is there joy in that for us as well? GP
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