Yesterday, one of my readings was in Romans 12. That is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. There is extremely practical wisdom dripping from each verse. I don’t know if I have just never paid attention to verse 11 or perhaps my recent fatigue caused me to see this verse with new eyes, but I have not been able to move past that verse.
Romans 12:11 – Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
I have asked myself several times since yesterday morning if my zeal and spiritual fervor are visible. I fear that most of the time the answer might be no. It is easy to get bogged down in the day to day and lose that excitement and energy that comes when we are walking in step with the Father.
In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates this verse this way: Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.
I think he captures the heart of the verse – don’t burn out but remain cheerfully expectant. As followers in The Way, we are to walk close enough to the Father that our strength is continually being renewed. It is when we wander or fall behind or run ahead that we begin to walk or run in our own strength. Gradually, often imperceptibly, our strength begins to wane. We might not even notice it initially.
Fatigue sets in and robs us of our zeal. Before we know it we are going through the motions – no energy, no enthusiasm – no zeal.
So how do we combat this loss? How do we revive and maintain our zeal?
Here are two steps that will renew your zeal.
- Start with rest. Physical fatigue is the loss of energy and energy holds hands with zeal. Take time to get physical rest. But even more importantly, take time to rest in the Father. Time with Jesus should never be an item on the To Do List but rather be the foundation and motivation for our To Do Lists.
- Set your focus on Jesus. When we see our lives as a gift from God and we set our eyes on him and commit ourselves to staying close to him, our energy is restored..
Paul challenges us to never be lacking in zeal but rather continue serving the Lord. Rest in him and stay close today.
Lord Jesus, on those days when we are tired, in those moments when we have no energy or enthusiasm, open our hearts to your goodness and plan for our lives and revive our energy and strength. May others see the zeal we have for you today. We rest in you cheerfully – expectant!
Amen
Clay in the Hands 