Then one day her husband died. After several years had passed, she fell in love with another man and got married. The new husband never required her to do anything, much less a list of jobs. Instead, he showered her with love and did everything he could to make her happy.
One day this wife was joyfully cleaning house when she discovered her first husband’s list of commands tucked away in a drawer. As she read the paper, it dawned on her that she was performing every task on the list, but now she was serving with joy instead of misery. Her love for her second husband inspired her to automatically do the same jobs that he first husband had required. She had served her first husband out of duty, but her second husband out of love.
God wants us to serve Him out of jubilation, not obligation. Legalism adds weights to our work, but love gives wings to our service.
(Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Multnomah Publishers)