Unlimited: Serving the Lord
Jul 28, 2023 547
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord (Romans 12:11).
Paul wrote this because he knew how easy it is to lose your zeal and fervor for spiritual things. It is easy to stop serving the Lord and instead serve ourselves. To “[n]ever be lacking in zeal” is also rendered as “[n]ever give up” in another translation (CEV). The word “fervor” in the Greek refers to the way that water incessantly boils with heat. The general picture here is a passionate, all-consuming Christianity.
Jesus admonished the church of Ephesus in Asia Minor:
…I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. (Rev. 2:1–5, NKJV.)
Our passion for Jesus will result in real action: in serving the Lord.
To the church in Laodicea, Jesus said,
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth (Rev. 3:15–16.)
The intensity of our relationship with Jesus matters; our passion for Jesus matters. This verse goes beyond this idea of fervor as merely some kind of religious feeling. Our passion will result in real action: in serving the Lord.
Spiritual Application
On a scale of 1 to 10, in which 1 is cold and 10 is boiling, how passionate is your spiritual fervor?
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