Serve with a Joy-filled Heart

         Have you had your Joy Juice today?  And have your served others a generous portion, as well?

            We use the word “serve” often, but how do we truly  “serve others”?  The best teacher on this subject—the expert of experts— is Jesus!  He served all along the way, throughout each day.  Many times he went out of his way to serve. And He served in all kinds of ways. 

            You see, Jesus had a servant’s heart, though He was the “King of kings”.  If we will follow His example and develop the humble attitude of a true servant, our way of thinking will completely change.  A job title or position or our rights will become of little importance to us.  

            Some of the best bosses that I’ve ever had were those who never thought they were too important to do any task, whether it was emptying the garbage cans or making difficult executive decisions. In Matthew 20 Jesus taught that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant….just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

            Do you expect others to always be serving YOU?  Or do you have the attitude of Jesus and look for ways to serve others?  If we want to experience a life of fulfillment and joy, we will desire a servant’s heart. 

Drink your Joy Juice faithfully. This should help us to serve others with a joyful heart.  

   

God's Best "YES" Includes Sharing His Joy

              Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink in God’s BEST!

 At times we are faced with decisions regarding good opportunities…and though we know they are good, we are overwhelmed with all our other responsibilities.  Many times we are asked to serve, and it’s hard for us to say NO, because we don’t want to disappoint someone. How many times have we said “YES”…only to become resentful of having to fulfill yet another obligation?  

            Sometimes we need to say “no”.  Lysa TerKeurst in her book The Best Yes  reminds us that we have all kinds of choices in life. Many of them…good!   But if we are not careful, we will say “yes” to so many good things, that we may miss God’s “best yes” for us.  We should be prayerful and careful to ask God for wisdom before we give an answer to our invitations.  Lysa writes: “In God’s plan, you’ve got a part to play. If you know that and believe it, you’ll live your life making decisions with the ‘Best Yes’ as your filter.”

 

            Proverbs 3:13 says “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom.”  May we pray, asking God for wisdom and discernment to be able to say “Yes” to the God-things and NO to even good things…if they not what God has led us to do. Let’s strive to be a God pleaser, rather than a people pleaser!  As Elisabeth Elliot writes: “The greatest JOY in all the world is obeying Christ by serving others.” 

Before answering YES to the good things, ask God to show you His BEST YES and then serve with gladness! 

Set Apart for Joyful Service

           Have you had your Joy Juice today? Serve with joy….no matter where you are.

          Before you were born, God knew you and everything about you!  That’s hard to comprehend, isn’t it?  I don’t pretend to even begin to grasp that concept… other than, HE IS GOD! 

In Jeremiah 1:5, God tells us that:  “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.  Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.” He designed us for a purpose.  He gave us unique abilities, talents, interests and gifts…all to be used for His glory.  Are you fulfilling His plan for your life?  The Bible repeatedly tells us to “serve the Lord with all your heart”.  If we are serving Him with a genuine heart, then we will be sensitive to the needs of others and how we can help them.

Rick Warren tells us in his book The Purpose Driven Life: “For Christians, service is not optional, something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time.  It is the heart of the Christian life.”

  Another great quote regarding serving others is from Mother Teresa: “Holy living consists in doing God’s work with a smile.”  My interpretation is this: Sincere, heart-felt service which honors God, brings much JOY to one’s life!

Serve the Lord with gladness! Seek God’s plan by fulfilling His purpose for which He “set you apart.” Serve joyfully!