Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 180 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

A Thankful Servant Part 2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 180 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at the first part of the Psalm of Thanksgiving, Psalm 100. Today we will explore part 2 of Psalms 100. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is the day after Thanksgiving, and it is my hope that it was a blessed time of thankfulness for you. Let us not forget to be thankful every day.

We are continuing our Trek today and tomorrow as we explore how to become a thankful servant as we once again look closely at the Psalm of Thanksgiving, which is Psalms 100.  Our trail for today is…

A Thankful Servant Part 2

Psalm 100:2 tells us to “Worship the Lord with gladness!” We come before God as a lowly but glad servant, offering up what are our logical and reasonable acts of worship.

The unspiritual man cannot understand this at all! For him to worship Christ seems foolish and a terrible imposition. Worshipping God is contrary to man’s proud, fallen nature. In the flesh, we stubbornly refuse to give God the worship and service He deserves. Man’s fallen nature begrudges service to anyone other than to themselves.

But, having been subdued by Christ’s overwhelming grace, we are radically transformed! Now, we want to serve God, even to the extent of what others may perceive as a loss. We do it gladly with a sense of joy and gladness.

A story that I read emphasizes this…Ten years ago, Nigerian Christians could expect a major attack against them about once every year by Muslims. Then the attacks began to occur monthly. In the past year, attacks have occurred nearly every other week. Today, simply attending church on Sunday puts a believer at risk, and those who actively tell Muslims about Christ are at greater risk still. Evangelist Johnson was seriously injured in a bomb explosion on his way to a Christian meeting. But Johnson exemplifies the persevering spirit of Nigerian believers. While many of these Christians could leave, they feel called to reach their Muslim neighbors. As Johnson says, “If I didn’t love my work, if I didn’t love Jesus, I would give up.”

Christians gladly serve and suffer because they know they have been saved by God’s own suffering servant Jesus! Serving God is not always easy by any means and may cost you dearly in some parts of the world. But true and lasting joy comes from serving King Jesus and sensing His delight. A Christian is one who serves with genuine humility, mixed with unspeakable joy! 1 Peter 1:8 says, "You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy."

The Psalm continues and urges us to "Come before him, singing with joy." He is the Great King of all the earth, the infinite and Holy Creator of the universe, and you are commanded to appear before him. But, when you come, come with a voice of victory, a shout of triumph and a joyous song! There is no moping in the King’s presence for to see him is to love him and rejoice in Him. Psalm 100:4 states, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name."

Imagine receiving an invitation to meet someone that you have admired all your life. Who would that be? Maybe it’s a sports hero, a military leader, a captain of industry, or an admired political or spiritual leader? How would you prepare yourself for the meeting?