Real Zeal

Verse of the day: Numbers 25:10-11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.

How often do we hear someone say, or do we say ourselves, “I love Jesus”? May I ask this question? If we say we love Jesus, does our life reflect it? I mean, does our life TRULY reflect it? If so, is it evident by the zeal with which we serve the Lord? Do people see a passion within us, demonstrated outwardly in the way we deal with life, and with others? Phinehas, in his zeal for God and the things of God, took the life of an Israelite and a Midianite woman for their gross and idolatrous behavior (v. 6-8). God responded to this act by praising and rewarding Phinehas and his descendants. Did God do this because of Phinehas’ obedience? No…He did it because of the zeal in Phinehas heart for God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. We may serve God out of obedience, but we may do it with a less than honorable attitude or intentions. Psalm 106:30-31 tell us, “Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped. 31 And that was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forevermore.” What I see amongst Christians today is truly sad. Far too many of us are lukewarm when it comes to serving the Lord. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, when He said this in Luke 10:27, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” In other words, we are to love God with all that we are, and above all else. As God’s children, this should be reflected in the way we pray, read and study our Bible, and in the effort we put forth in becoming more like Christ in our behavior and the way we interact with others. In being zealous for Christ, Romans 12:11 tells us, “Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord”. This is the kind of fervency the early church toward the thing of the Lord (Acts 2:40-47). The reality of the matter is that many of us demonstrate more zeal toward hobbies, and our favorite sports teams, than we do for the Lord or the things of God. We will sacrifice life, limb, and even our families, in our zeal to gain that which the world has to offer and distract us with. I have known Christians who were more than willing to camp out outside a store, waiting for the latest gadget or game console, but not have time to attend a prayer meeting, church service or an evangelistic church event. We can remember the lyrics for the most ungodly songs, but we cannot quote a verse of Scripture or remember where in the Bible to find the ones we do know. We overlook sin in the life of others, and justify our own sinfulness. God rewarded Phinehas because he had zeal that was God’s zeal. He despised the sinful behavior openly demonstrated by Zimri and Cozbi with the same hatred that God did. It seems that his zeal came from a genuine love for God, and genuine knowledge of what God expected, and not an ignorant zeal. This is one of the problems with today’s Christianity; those who are zealous are often zealous without knowledge. The Apostle Paul wrote this in Romans 10:1-3 in respect to Israel, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” The Apostle Paul himself was one who was fervent in serving God, but did it in ignorance, persecuting followers of Jesus Christ (Acts 8). I have seen far too many Christians walk away from the church because their brothers/sisters in Christ, in their ignorant zeal, have bulldozed those who have stumbled in their faith, rather than sternly, but lovingly, and humbly, trying to restore them back into fellowship (Galatians 6). The bottom line is that we must re-evaluate what is truly important in our lives. Are we truly zealous for the things of God? Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Martin Luther King once said, “Until a man finds a cause for which he’s willing to die, he is not fit to live.” This is the kind of zeal Jesus had for us. He was willing to lay down His life for us in order to save us. Do we have the kind of zeal that makes us willing to take up our cross and die for Him daily? Would we be willing to literally lay down our life for the sake of the Gospel?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).