Sunday Drive - Zealous

Zealous is a word I for some reason, assumed had a negative overtone. Like someone that was zealous was an extremist. They overdid it to the point of being offensive.

But when I looked it up, it doesn't mean that at all. Being zealous means to show great energy or enthusiasm. Hmm... my goodness, we are all zealous! Zealous for vacations or meeting up with a friend, for sports teams, or even a new project.

The question, I then asked myself, is whether I'm zealous for God. Do I have great energy or enthusiasm to spend time in His Presence, to read His Word, to worship Him? To be honest, the answer is no, not always. Sometimes, it's just the same habit day in and day out without much thought or meaning to it. 

Hosea 6:3 (AMP)
3 Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord [to appreciate, give heed to, and cherish Him]. His going forth is prepared and certain as the dawn, and He will come to us as the [heavy] rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth.

It's at times like this, when the Holy Spirit reminds me and stirs my heart, that I want to be zealous for Him! I want to appreciate, and cherish The Lord! We all need reminders, right?

Isn't that the journey? There will be times when we feel so close to The Lord, and then there will be times when we feel distant. Let me be clear, The Lord is always right there with us, we are the ones that drift off. He is always drawing us and pulling us closer to Him. (Another reason to be zealous for Him!)

Psalms 34:1-3 (NLT)
1 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. 2 I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. 3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.

There are so many wonderful things about The Lord, how can we not be zealous? Sometimes the struggles we go through can make it difficult to want to be zealous for Jesus. Yet, other times it's out of sheer laziness. We just don't feel like it. It's too much effort. There are many different reasons we might not be zealous, I'm sure you can fill in the blank.

However, He never gives up on us! He is like the prodigal's father waiting and watching by the window, searching and searching for his son to come home. The second he saw his son, he sacrificed his dignity and ran to his son, while he was still a long way off and then threw his arms around him and kissed him.

That's the picture of our heavenly father's love.

Luke 15:20 (NLT)
20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Be filled with zeal! The Father loves you more than you can imagine! Today is a new day filled with the blessings of The Lord.

Psalm 34:8 (NLT)
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Blessings,
Lori