Some of the notes I’ve scribbled in my One Year Bible™ uncover Ugly Laurie – that fleshy, self-absorbed part of me that’s not very pretty. Like, for example, the notes in this picture:
Psalm 100 is familiar territory for me. I’ve read it (and even sung the words from it) many times. You probably have, too, but take a few seconds to read it again:
Psalm 100:1-5 (NASB)
1 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.
As I read that passage from my One Year Bible™ one day, I wasn’t surprised when I heard the melodies of several worship songs in my mind. I was surprised, however, when that music suddenly stopped. That’s when I saw her. Ugly Laurie.
As you can see by my notes in the picture above, Psalm 100:2 revealed something ugly to me that day about my attitude and service to God. It showed me that I was not serving Him the way He wants to be served. I was not serving Him with gladness. Instead, I realized that some of my service to Him was motivated by guilt, anticipated with dread, and done out of obligation. Ugly.
But Psalm 100 can transform ugly me — and ugly you, too — into a beautiful reflection of God’s glory as we:
- Serve the Lord with gladness at work, at home, and in all of our relationships.
- Tune in to some Christian music and sing along, or simply make a “melody with your heart to the Lord” (Eph 5:19).
- Thank and praise the Lord because He is God, He is good, and His love and faithfulness to us are everlasting (even when we’re ugly).
- Shout to the Lord with joy. Okay, maybe you don’t shout very much, but when you’re serving Him with gladness, singing, thanking, and praising Him, you might just feel like giving God a shout-out, too.
Today is Monday, precious sister. An easy day to be ugly. But God created us to be a beautiful reflection of His glory (1 Cor. 6:19-20). So today, let’s pick up the familiar refrains of Psalm 100 and be beautiful. Let’s serve Him with gladness, sing, thank, praise, and maybe even shout to God with joy. Even on Monday, let’s glo, girl!
Your sister who is praying for you today,
