Overview
Enjoying a task is not the same as possessing joy in service. Gary Frederick describes joy in service as an inward commitment to doing the Father’s will, even when the assignment itself is difficult. Jesus Christ’s prayer before his arrest and the joy set before him demonstrate service grounded in love rather than convenience. Lasting joy also requires freedom from comparison, human approval and works-based pressure.
Edited Teaching Transcript
Enjoying the Work Is Not the Same as Joy in Service
The leadership principle I want to share is having joy in service. I have worked for Christian Ministries either as an employee or volunteer for 51 of the last 52 years. There are many leadership principles that I have learned over that period. Many of them have been shared by the other members of the leadership team over the past few months. They all are great leadership principles that help us maintain a positive and productive leadership role and example to others. There is no one single leadership principle that makes a great leader. It is the combination of many principles demonstrated in an individual's life that help that individual shine as an example of the accomplished works of Jesus Christ.
For me, having joy in my service has been paramount in my ability to continue in leadership roles over the past 52 years. When I have joy in my service, I am not referring to enjoying the work. There is a significant difference between enjoying the work you are carrying out as a leader and having a joy in your service. Enjoying the work or leadership duty is an outsider's surface experience. An example could be how much enjoyment working as an accountant brings me. I am almost always enjoying accounting work. Now, I have to be honest, there have been a few times when I've struggled to find that penny to balance the books that that work was not quite as enjoyable, but then after the penny was found, it was very satisfying.
Having a joy of service comes from the inside. It is that deep joy in your heart that comes from knowing that you are serving our Heavenly Father. Duty or self-sacrifice alone can make serving very tiring. That is why those who joyfully commit themselves to serving God experience the joy of service. As mentioned earlier, true joy comes from the inside. Anybody can work a job and enjoy the work. The joy of service is when you not only enjoy the work and what you gain from it, but when you rejoice in the work knowing you are giving your all in service to our Heavenly Father. At one time or another, every leader will have to handle a leadership duty or responsibility that they would rather not.
It could be making a tough financial decision that might negatively impact another, or having to confront someone, or even looking for that lost penny. While these responsibilities are not enjoyable to do, that leader can still have a joy in their service because their joy comes from service to God and not the work itself or trying to approve before others. Turn to
Jesus Christ Chose the Father’s Will
Matthew chapter 26. The greatest example of this is Jesus Christ. He knew that he was about to be arrested, convicted, and crucified. He asked his Heavenly Father if there was any other way, but in all three times that he asked, it was clear to him there was no other way, and because of his love and respect for his Father, he was always submissive to his Father's will. Verse 39. And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could you not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. And he left them and went away again and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Please turn to
Joy Can Endure Difficult Service
Hebrews chapter 12. The giving of oneself completely is the passion of great men, but sacrifice without joy is bondage. Verse 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus Christ did not enjoy going through all he had to endure, but Jesus Christ never lost his inner joy of doing his Father's will. That was his joy of service. Please turn to Acts chapter 1. We'll start in verse 2. Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
After his passion, Jesus Christ taught them the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ's passion was doing his Father's will, which in turn gave him that inner joy. Please turn to
Serve Without Comparison or Approval
Galatians chapter 6. Verse 4. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in others. The word prove is to test, examine, or scrutinize. Work is simply one's undertaking or what they happen to be doing, and rejoicing is to have joy in doing something commendable. I think the Passion Translation states this verse in a more contemporary way. Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in the doing what's right, and being themselves, and not being affirmed by others. As leaders, we do what God has called us to.
We shouldn't care what others think about what we do, neither should we be looking for others' approval. A leader joyfully serving God gives his all and doesn't care if others are watching or not, because his joy comes from knowing who he is serving and not the approval of others. Although we might find our work enjoyable, our true joy does not come from the work we do. It comes from the heart and effort we put into it. Please turn to
Stand Together in One Spirit and One Passion
Philippians chapter 1. We'll start in verse 26. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come to see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. The Passion Bible says it this way. Whatever happens, keep living your lives based on the reality of the gospel of Christ. Then when I come to see you or hear good reports of you, I'll know that you stand united in one spirit and one passion, celebrating together as conquerors in the faith of the gospel.
Paul is exhorting the Philippians to rejoice in Jesus Christ, to live their lives based on the reality of the gospel, not on the circumstances around them, to stand together not based on what men say or do, but based on the faith of Jesus Christ, which comes from the inside, not something external. If Paul is present with them or not, it doesn't matter. They don't stand approved before Paul or anybody else. They are exhorted to stand united in one spirit and united with one passion, and again, passion comes from within. When we have the joy of service, we are not working to stand approved before others or working to have joy in others.
We rejoice in ourselves. The joy comes from within. There might be times when we feel the work has become work only for the work's sake. If or when this happens, remind yourself of all the promises in God's Word and all the blessings you've received from God, and make sure you remember how your life and the work you do has blessed so many people. When you have the joy of serving God first, then the work will never be just for the work's sake. I believe grace ties into the joy of service. We live in grace when we accept the accomplished works of another man, Jesus Christ. When we accept his grace, we have that joy on the inside.
Works, on the other hand, are done because we feel the need or obligation to prove something to others, or even to prove something to God. Putting works above grace can really be so subtle. I recall being in a meeting, and after the teaching, the individual that was running the meeting opened it up to anyone that wanted to share. I honestly didn't have anything on my heart to share, but as I looked around the room, I felt that since I held a leadership position, that everyone would expect me to share something. Nobody said that, it's just how I felt. I did end up sharing something, but it clearly lacked the heart that the others had in their sharings.
Shortly after the meeting, I realized my sharing was doing works, not living grace. I did it for others' approval, not because I was inspired, and not because I felt I had something to share that would bless or help. It was very selfish. It really was all about me, which doing works rather than living grace is almost always about. I was not
When Service Becomes Works Instead of Grace
living in grace, nor experiencing the joy of service. In the Amplified Bible, Galatians 6.4 says, But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable without boastful comparison with his neighbor. I had forgotten about this verse and instead went back to my old habits of trying to stand approved before others, caring more about what others think of me rather than having the satisfaction and joy of living in grace. As I said, it can just be that subtle. Grace and joy come from within, where doing something out of obligation or a feeling of self-sacrifice just so you can feel better about yourself is denying the accomplished works of another man and trying to do it yourself.
Works are done without true joy because the motive of works is completely contrary to recognizing the accomplished works of another man. It is the faithful disciples, those that have discovered the joy in service to God, that are content with who they are, regardless of what anyone else thinks. Sure, it's always nice to have others compliment you and thank you for things you do, but that should never be our motive for doing anything. And I'd like to close by reading Galatians 6.4 in the Passion Bible one more time. Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in the doing what's right and being themselves and not being affirmed by others.
God bless you and thank you.
Key Takeaways
- Enjoyment describes how pleasant a task feels; joy in service comes from the heart and commitment behind the service.
- Jesus did not enjoy the suffering before him, yet he chose the Father’s will and served from love.
- The joy set before Christ enabled him to endure a difficult assignment without making the difficulty his identity.
- Believers should examine their own work rather than measuring its value through comparison with other people.
- Seeking recognition or approval can turn service into bondage and drain it of grace.
- Joyful service grows as believers stand together for the gospel and devote themselves to the work God has given them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between enjoying work and having joy in service?
Enjoying work is a surface response to whether a task is pleasant or personally satisfying. Joy in service is an inward commitment to doing God’s will with love and purpose, even when the work itself is difficult.
How did Jesus demonstrate the joy of service?
Before his arrest, Jesus honestly expressed the difficulty of what lay ahead but submitted himself to the Father’s will. Hebrews describes the joy set before him as part of how he endured the cross.
Why does seeking approval undermine joyful service?
When service depends on recognition, comparison or praise from other people, the worker becomes vulnerable to disappointment and bondage. Grace allows a believer to test his or her own work and find joy in faithfully doing what God has assigned.
Scripture References
Matthew 26:36-44; Hebrews 12:2; Acts 1:2-3; Galatians 6:4; Philippians 1:26-27
This article was prepared from an automated teaching transcript. Verify exact Bible quotation wording, names, transliterations and verse references against the recording and the speaker’s preferred Bible translation before publishing.
