Thanksgiving Day is on top of us, and that means one thing for me: time to go to Psalm 100 and do some more digging. Each year at this time, I enjoy meditating on this wonderful and well-known Psalm of praise and thanksgiving. I always ask the Lord to give me something fresh, a new nugget so to speak. That’s the glory of God’s word – there’s always something to learn! This year it’s the phrase in verse 2, “Serve the Lord with gladness,” especially that word “gladness.” Have you ever considered the thought that part of our praise to God is the attitude with which we serve Him? “Gladness” is an interesting word. It carries the idea of mirth, glee, pleasure, and rejoicing, all in an extreme sense. Nothing half-hearted. To really get the idea, consider the phrase in 1 Kings 1:40 when Solomon was anointed king of Israel. It says they “rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.” The word “joy” in that verse is the same word translated “gladness” in Psalm 100:2. On that great day, Israel’s gladness was so great that the earth seem to shake with their praise. Now the convicting question. Do I serve my Lord like that? Do I grasp the great privilege and pleasure it is to be allowed to serve the King of Kings? Is the world around me “shaken” because of my gladness? Or has it become a drudgery. A burdensome task. A “because I have to” job. Now don’t get me wrong. Not every day of service to God is an exhilarating mountaintop experience. There are valleys, trials, disappointments, and even heartbreak at times. But what is my attitude when those moments come? Can I still rejoice? Will I still influence the people and circumstances around me with “gladness”? What a challenge! Serve the Lord with “an earth-shaking joy”. Lord, help me to serve You like that!