Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Psalm 100:2 (NIV)
Gladness
According to a new Statistics Canada study making headlines, the majority of Canadians over the age of 65 report an overall higher life satisfaction than younger adults. What researchers found is that overall life satisfaction comes from several factors, from your health and standard of living, to your life achievements, personal relationships and participation in your community. For three years in a row, Canada has been named buy US News and World Report as the best country in the world for quality of life.
***
People around the world continue to seek contentment. They look for it in all sorts of places – religion, sex, drugs and alcohol, entertainment, career. None of these offer any ultimate contentment. They will always leave a person empty and craving more. Instead of bringing peace, they often enslave and steal peace and contentment. There is only one source of true contentment. The Psalmist writes this in Psalm 100:2: “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” The definition of gladness is “a feeling or state of well-being and contentment.” In this one simple Bible verse, there is the secret to true contentment – worship. As we lift our eyes off the things of the earth and turn them onto the God who Created us and loves us, our hearts are filled with gladness. We are not a product of chance; the world is not left to run on its own. As we worship, we realize again that there is a God who created and controls the universe and the lives of all who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Gladness and contentment come, as we lift our eyes to Jesus in worship. Do so today.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley