Deuteronomy 28:47 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

Serving the Lord With Joyfulness and Gladness

Serving the Lord with joyfulness and gladness is the best way to serve God.  The children of Israel were to obey the commandments of the Lord.  They were to do it with joyfulness and gladness of heart.  They were to be thankful for the abundance of things the Lord gave them.  When they would not do this, the Lord was going to curse them.  It is so important to have a good attitude as a Christian.  I think some Christians get in a rut and serve the Lord out of duty.  When you stop serving because of love, you are headed in the wrong way.  Soon there will not be joy and gladness in your service.  When you see yourself as a wicked, rotten, sinner deserving of hell, you will appreciate and love the Lord more.  You will appreciate what you have.  You will get the joy of the Lord back.

Abundance of All Things

The Lord blesses his people with things from time to time.  Spiritual things are the most eternal.  I would rather have my kids serving and loving the Lord more than houses or lands.  The first is eternal and the second is temporal.  When we get out of sorts with the Lord and the joy goes out of our salvation, so do the blessings of God.  We need to keep our heart in check regularly to ensure the joy of the Lord is always present.  When sin is in the camp of our life, we are sure to see the joy bells killed.  Living holy is critical to having the joy of the Lord.  Make sure you serve the Lord with joy and gladness today.
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