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Jesus Christ…gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:13b-14).
I am super excited about my new favorite word: ZEAL. Hey, it’s fun to say too! 😉 I was praying yesterday morning about how to snap out of my rut and move forward on some goals, rather than staying stuck, and feeling incapable. Suddenly the word ZEAL came to me. When things like this happen, I just have to shake my head. Y’all, I have never heard an audible voice from the Lord, but sometimes He just impresses words on my heart and mind…and when He does…I just know it is Him.
And ZEAL was like a foreign word to me, nothing I ever thought would be applied to me. And I have been discouraged, unfocused, distracted, overwhelmed and Worn. So, to be zealous is another thing altogether. Yet the thought grew on me quickly. I am, for the most part, a grateful person, certain in my faith, and committed to my Lord. But, I see that tedious tasks or daunting responsibilities are not always met by me with passion. More like resignation and sometimes dread. But ZEAL means embracing what God has set before us – with passion.
And the next thought I had was a scrap of a verse: And the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this. Here is the rest in the NASB: There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness, from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. (Is 9:7).
The passion of the Christ DID accomplish this. And we are to be imitators of Him – He Who was zealous for good works.
I see too that if my zeal begins to fade – His zeal will not. God is passionately committed to His people and His plan. When we look at HESED, His covenant love, we can see His commitment. And I also know that the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9). So, since my life is part of His plan, He will accomplish through me what I cannot, because of His zeal.
I am going to turn my heart toward my tasks today, and this week, and from now on, in such a way as to accomplish them with zeal! And yesterday, every time I thought, “I have so much to do today, I cannot get it all done…”, I would counter that thought with just the one Word: ZEAL. It means passionate commitment. And I found this: redirecting my thoughts toward accomplishing, with zeal, what He has laid before me, encourages me to pursue life this with passion.
We are often “outcomes oriented” – we want results – which can lead to disappointment when outcomes are less than favorable. But God is more than we are…He is both outcomes and process oriented. Process matters. The way we approach a task determines as much about us, who we are, as it determines the outcome of that effort.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Col 3:1-2).
Still formulating my Action Plan. I will get to that in the next few posts. And just wondering about you here: got ZEAL?
Hugs,
Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!
I am so guilty of this too! My son ended up home sick from school yesterday, my first thought was “poor baby” but then “darn, I needed to get x, y & z done today, now I have to find time later in the already full week!” But I got to spend some one on one time with him, which admittedly rarely happens, and while he was resting, I was able to get caught up on some other “at home” things I was struggling to find the time to do. God is good and while my plans don’t seem to exactly match his, his are always better!
You are so right!! It has been the humbling of me to experience this time and time again!