“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk<\/em> uprightly” (Psalms 84:10-11).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It would be difficult to find a more intense expression of devotion in all of the Old Testament than the one above. To prefer a day in God’s court over a thousand elsewhere would be a strange desire to many.\u00a0 Few would sympathize with such a fanatic. Even good people might relegate such an expression to a madman!\u00a0 The language here is an expression of one who greatly delights in God.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, there are others who would deem such service as “weariness” (Malachi 1:13). To them a sense of duty exceeds a sense of privilege, and obedience means constraint rather than joy! Joyless service is neither profitable nor acceptable. What a disappointment to the Father when his children take no delight in drawing near to him!<\/p>\n Here is a challenge for you the reader. Which truly brings delight? Which genuinely has your heart’s devotion? Is it God’s service or the world?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by George Slover “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1287,84],"class_list":["post-59458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-joy","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12161,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-christian-love-demand-a-willingness-to-lay-down-your-life-for-a-friend\/","url_meta":{"origin":59458,"position":0},"title":"Does Christian love demand a willingness to lay down your life for a friend?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 7, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: While teaching the adult class I made the statement that a true characteristic of Christian love is that one would be willing to lay down his\/her life for his\/her friends.\u00a0 One lady stated that she could not do that.\u00a0 What are your thoughts?\u00a0 How would you answer this lady's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3829,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/clapping-in-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":59458,"position":1},"title":"Clapping in Worship","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gardner Hall Is it wrong? If so, why? The last few years have seen the introduction of handclapping in congregations of the Lord, including a few that have opposed institutionalism. Though motives are often praiseworthy, serious questions are raised by the practice. Is it presumptuous? Is it practiced because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/clap_clap_clapping_by_Anima_en_Fuga-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":84905,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/prayer-and-devotion\/","url_meta":{"origin":59458,"position":2},"title":"Prayer and Devotion","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Larry White via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 We pray little because we desire little. A full soul, full of the world and fat on the plenty and pride of this world, will not be a praying soul. He requires nothing. The hungry soul longs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52608,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-we-conclude-that-a-person-is-glorified\/","url_meta":{"origin":59458,"position":3},"title":"How can we conclude that a person is glorified?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'd like to know how to define \"glorify.\"\u00a0 How can we conclude that a person is glorified?\u00a0 By what sign? Answer: The word \"glorify\" means \"to give glory to\".\u00a0 Glory can mean honor, praise, or devotion, but it is usually considered a much more intense word than any of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26886,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/psalms-100\/","url_meta":{"origin":59458,"position":4},"title":"Psalms 100","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 100 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is a psalm which is specifically titled as one to be used for thanksgiving or during a thank offering, it is Psalms 100 II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What you should do ... \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shout joyfully to the Lord \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some things are not meant to be kept\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44664,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-we-praise-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":59458,"position":5},"title":"How do we praise God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Mr. Hamilton, I hear a lot of people talking about what they do to praise God, so my question is: How do we praise the Father according to His word? Thank you. Answer: In the Old Testament, one common word that is translated as \"praise\" is tehillah, which literally\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/joy-300x200.jpg\")
What is the source of his joyful devotion? First, there is the joy of praise. “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth<\/em>” (Psalms 34:1). Second, there is the joy of communion with God. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want<\/em>” (Psalms 23:1). Third, there is the joy of fellowship with God’s people — the common prayer, the harmonious praise, and the sharing of a common salvation.\u00a0 Fourth, there is the joy of service — the privilege of opening the door of God’s kingdom as a refuge to the lost, and a place of consolation for believers.<\/p>\n