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Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.
Zeal is defined as “fervor for a person; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence”. Because we have a great hope in Christ, we are to be zealous in our service for Him. Our hope provides us joy, and our affliction provides opportunity to display patience. All these things press us into relationship with God because we cannot be this on our own apart from Him. Jesus Christ is the reason for our zeal, our spiritual fervor, our patience, our joy, and for giving our all! Survey your life today…are you giving your all for Christ?
Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.
Sincerity is the hallmark of love. You have to really mean it. Someone who craves to be loved can tell if love is not sincere. This is part of the design of God in us; that we are created to respond to sincere love. We are not created to respond to some derivative or corruption of love, although many are tricked into buying those lies. It takes discernment to tell the difference, and truly “hate what is evil while clinging to what is good”. The Holy Spirit helps you to see the world and your circumstances through the eyes of God. Be led by the Spirit into right thought and action.
I sought the Lord’s help and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
At times in life, we all experience anxiety and fear: fear that is not “fear of the Lord.” A loved one is in the hospital, a friend in the prime of their life passes away…there are countless examples of situation that have the potential to cause us to fear, doubt, and tremble in our skin. Take courage in these times, because we have a God who is with us and we share in His perfect love that casts out all fear. (1 John 3:14) Seek the Lord: your fears are opportunities for you to trust in God, and for Him to deliver you from them. Our God is faithful and He answers – find rest in Him.
So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Matthew 21:42) The church is built on the cornerstone of Christ, and then the foundation that was laid on Christ by the apostles and prophets. This is how we are the temple of God – joined together by Christ Jesus and swelling with the love of our great savior! Those who believe in Christ are not foreigners in God’s house. We belong in His household, inviting all people to come in and share in that precious gift with us.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!
Rejoice! Rest in the assurance that God is near today. Just because God the Father and God the Son are seated in the heavenly realm does not mean that God is far from you. He has made His home with you and come to be with you in the person of the Holy Spirit. His grasp on you is firm…believe it and rejoice!