Serve God with Gladness

While Nehemiah served as cupbearer to the king, Artaxerxes astutely recognised Nehemiah was sad and that it was due to grief of heart.  This was the first time Nehemiah had been sad in the presence of the king, and there were potentially serious consequences for Nehemiah as this was forbidden.  Yet the king's expression of concern was genuine for Nehemiah's welfare, and the LORD gave him favour in the eyes of the king, queen and his brethren in Israel he sought to assist in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem to bring an end to their reproach.

Artaxerxes desired Nehemiah to serve with gladness, and this is true concerning the God of Israel.  As our Creator, He has provided all things for us to thrive in this life and in the eternal state by His love, grace and goodness.  David sang to God with confidence in Psalm 16:11:  "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  We have joy in the presence of those who delight us, and in God we have a Saviour who loves us and helps us by giving us the indwelling Spirit who makes us joyful.  Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit along with love, peace,  patience, goodness and countless other good things.

God's people did not always serve Him with joy and gladness (despite the kindness God showed them), and this resulted in severe consequences as Moses said in Deuteronomy 28:47-48:  "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, ⁴⁸ therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you."  God gave His people great abundance of all things, yet they did not serve God joyfully.  Serving God was burdensome as they murmured, complained and grumbled.  They sought to find satisfaction and fulfillment by what was not God and could never please them.  Because they did not serve God joyfully and gladly with the abundance God gave them, He would see to it they served oppressive enemies while being in need of everything.

Isn't it better to serve God with joy and gladness than die under the oppression of our enemies, seeing everything we have as gifts from God who loves us?  Serving God is a great privilege and not a burden, for He helps us every day and is the lifter of our heads.  Trials and struggles do depress us at times, but at the mention of our LORD Jesus our spirits rise up with sure expectancy of help and deliverance.  Should we serve depression and sorrow when in God's presence is fullness of joy?  Every trouble and tribulation will pass, and all that will be left is our glorious God and a life to be joyfully spent with Him.  God has taken off the yoke we wore that chained us to sin, self and Satan, and how glad we ought to be to be free of bondage, out of darkness and to walk joyfully in the light of life.  Let us serve the LORD our God with joy and gladness, for He is our all in all.