Sprirtual Fervor

Romans 12:3-16

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who re in need. Practice hospitality." (v. 9-13)

We are called to keep our spiritual fires going; it is not to be distinguished, but kept burning brightly. Even in times of affliction, we are to be patient, pray, and have hope in the Lord. However, this is not always easy. A fire remains lit only when there is fuel and oxygen to burn. And when the fire is burning brighter, than both are used even faster. Similarly, we must maintain our spiritual fire by continuing to feed it. And the brighter it burns, we must increase (not decrease) our fuel to sustain it. This is where many of us stumble and have our roller coaster rides in our walk with the Lord. We become zealous and our fire burns bright, but we never could sustain it and therefore it goes dim and sometimes completely out. Often times when it begins to dim, we would feverishly attempt to keep it lit with our own strength through our own resources, but in the end we exhaust ourselves.

Also, just as increased oxygen would cause a fire to burn brighter, so to are we encouraged to "fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6). Our utilization of the gift of God and our service to Him through our faith provides the oxygen into our spiritual fire. We cannot just increase the fuel, but also exercise our faith such as "practic(ing) hospitality".

Therefore, let us look to our Father who will provide us our infinite resources. Let us not rely on our own strength or resources, but His through prayer, praise, and His Words. Let us also continue to serve Him and others with love. Only then will we be able to be zealous and "keep our spiritual fervor."