Never be lacking in zeal

As I was contemplating the passage this morning using my fancy blue card from Sunday morning, a phrase that stopped me was, "Never be lacking in zeal." Quite honestly, the word that struck me was "never." You are taught in communicating with your spouse to never say "always" or "never," so the fact that this word appears here is important. Never means never, not ever, not one time. But what is it that Paul is saying never to do?

Never be lacking in zeal. Zeal is a strong word, and it brings with it a feeling of passion. But more than just passion, it is passion toward a desired end. It is passion that drives something forward toward a goal. What is the goal? From the context of everything we have been talking about, it is that idea of being transformed by the renewing of our minds, specifically in the way our minds think toward others. And Paul urges: never be lacking in zeal.

What does that mean? It means we never ever stop growing in our love for people. It means we learn how to sacrifice for others. It means we actually think of other people before we think of ourselves. It means we learn how to share our lives with other people in order to help them be transformed the way we are being transformed. It means showing up at the hospital when someone in their family is sick. It means showing up at their kids' choir concert or baseball game. It means asking for help. It means making others a big part of your life.

It's not easy to love people, and when we finally find a group of people we fit well with and we love dearly, we tend to think we have arrived or there is no reason to keep pressing forward. That is when we form cliques. Never be lacking in zeal. Keep loving people. Learn to love the people you have a hard time loving. Press on to be able to love your enemies. Don't become stagnant. Take it to the next level. And always let love be sincere.

- Gary Luedecke, Lifegroup Pastor