Romans 12: 11
Today, we continue with the next exhortation that states:
Do not be slothful in zeal,
be fervent in spirit serve the Lord.
There are no complicated words in this verse…
This exhortation starts out in a negative form telling us
we’re never to be slothful or lack zeal.
Then it’s followed by the positive command which tells us that
we’re to be fervent.
The word fervent suggests the idea of eagerness, with intent
and with earnest effort… One that is not lagging in diligence… but willing to do what it takes, and willing
to go after it…
When Jonathan Edwards was a young man he wrote seventy
resolutions.
And his sixth resolution seems to capture the meaning of today’s
scripture verse.
He wrote: “Resolved: To
live with all my might, while I live.”
So, lets live with all our might while we live, focusing on
serving Christ, because this is what the passion is for!
This verse is saying that when it comes to serving Christ, halfheartedness, lukewarmness, laziness, and slothfulness are utterly
inappropriate.
Being saved by Jesus Christ is the greatest thing in the
world!
It means having eternal life… Where we will live forever in
overwhelming joy with our Lord.
And serving Christ is the greatest privilege in the world!
And the greatest Person in the universe has not just called
us into His service but has become our Servant so that all our serving, is
trusting and depending and receiving.
And the reason He has done this is that the giver gets the
glory...
If we served Him because He needed something from us, we
would get the glory.
But if, as 1 Peter 4:11 says, we serve Him “in the strength
that He supplies,” then He gets the glory.
Through our serving Christ, we get the help, and He gets the
glory.
So how should we serve the Lord? First, we must make sure
that our motivation is right.
We serve Him because of His love and great mercies toward us
in the gospel.
That motivation moves us not to be lazy, but to be diligent in
serving Him.
Remember that we’re serving none other than the Lord
Himself!
The apostle Paul served the Lord with a fervent heart.
And I want to point out that we don’t find the apostle Paul telling
us about how bad the Roman Empire was.
We don’t hear the apostle Paul complaining about all the
things that had happened to him… all the persecutions he had to endure.
We don’t find any kind of focus on Paul himself… He is too
busy serving the Lord.
Paul used everyday opportunities, to make known the
glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must understand that it’s not about how someone hurt us
or criticized us. Or how someone spread false rumors about us… it’s about the
Lord Jesus Christ!
So today I want to encourage you to keep your spiritual
zeal, and be fervent in spirit…
And just like water in a pot cannot come to a boil without a
fire lit under it… we cannot be fervent in spirit or have zeal without prayer… and
without being in the Word of God.
Having zeal for Christ is a burning desire to please God, to
do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way.
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