Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Romans 12:11
The directive to maintain zeal makes sense only if the disciple devoted to the Lord’s service is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Still, the object is not to perform feats of super-human endurance, but simply to serve the Lord faithfully. While laboring in Asia, Paul was so “utterly, unbearably crushed” that he longed for death (2 Corinthians 1:8). Yet near the end of his life he joyfully testified to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord” and vowed, “…but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8;13-14). If our “onward” is sweetened by the “upward” we too shall taste lasting satisfaction.
Paul’s fervor for Christ and His Gospel can and must be emulated today. It is the sure-fire antidote for the pervasive sin of apathy that grieves the Holy Spirit, but strengthens Satan’s hold on the unwittingly hell-bound. Has God’s redemptive passion for sin-weary seekers and strugglers not spanned all of recorded history? With Calvary’s cross in clear view, He perfected it before the foundation of the world. He willingly performs it still in our faithless, fickle age, by drawing us into His living Word that sparks dynamic faith. As we perceive the radiance of Christ’s exemplary love for His Father and for us – His children and fellow heirs – shall we not gratefully wed our zeal to His? Part 2 of 2
Comment: Did we groan when Paul’s notions of zeal and patience forced our move from comfort zone into the Throne Zone of doing God’s will, and putting “being” before “doing”? Normally, groaning is noisy with grumpy or injured people. By contrast, Paul cuts in with Romans 8:23, “Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” He’s not referring to the aches and pains of aging, but in the way my old mentor Spurgeon explains, “This groaning is universal among the saints. It is the sound of desire rather than distress.” Paul further asserts that the whole creation is groaning, and so is the Holy Spirit. Oddly, this made me think of good church people who profess to have faith and prove it to themselves by being extra kind and cheerful givers in a world of thoughtless takers. Yet the sad truth is they don’t personally and intimately know the risen Jesus who appeared to His frightened disciples hiding in a locked room. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Unless the habitual churchgoer has received Him, the indwelling presence and power of he living Lord doesn’t lead to groaning for the lost and stray sheep in their families. No truth-with-love is spoken into the lives of members in a morality-friendly cult, or in “mutually consenting relationships” that exclude conformity to “holy wedlock.” The cultural norm of sexual immorality is less demanding. Should Paul’s groaning in Romans 9:1-3 not tug at our hearts as intercessors on behalf of Christ’s Body? “…my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit - that I have great sorrow and anguish in my heart. For I wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my [Jewish] brothers…” Let all humble believers wisely choose to RECEIVE the Holy Spirit, who joyfully transforms all of our being and doing to God’s glory! Romans 12
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