Zeal
John 2:17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
To grow in zeal is to grow in Christ-likeness. This is something God has been revealing to me for a while. One thing that has marked my journey from a comfort-seeking guy to a wholehearted lover of Jesus has been zeal. Specifically, zeal for His house. When God began to show me the difference between sincere love for Him and WHOLEHEARTED love for Him, I decided I couldn't settle for just sincere, I had to learn how to be wholehearted....to love Him with everything...all of my time, money, strength. I am not talking about quitting my job, I am talking about quitting my dream of living my best life now and trading it for finding out how closely I can know, experience, and agree with God.
As this transition in my life took place, zeal started to invade my comfort-soaked life. This started to change many of my relationships. This is something that David had to wrestle through, as well:
Psalms 27:4-5 One thing I have desired of the Lord , That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord , And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
David saw something that was coming...a time of trouble...that was part of what drove his zeal. David was looking for a way to be face to face with God, what man was made for and placed in the garden. David saw there was a time of trouble coming when God would sweep away everyone who didn't share that same desire...a flood of trouble. David knew that zeal for the Lord's house was the answer...the antidote...to the time of trouble. David was so zealous for this reality...to dwell in the presence of God...that he made a lot of people, especially those near Him, very uncomfortable:
Psalms 69:6-15 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s children; Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, That became my reproach. I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate speak against me, And I am the song of the drunkards. But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord , in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, And let me not sink; Let me be delivered from those who hate me, And out of the deep waters. Let not the floodwater overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
Here, David is basically saying "God, this thing happening in my heart, this zeal...it is so overpowering, I'm afraid it is going to bring dishonor to You, Lord. No one who claims to know you seems to like the way my zeal for you is getting expressed. Even my family are distancing themselves from me because of who I becoming. I fast, and others don't like it. I repent in humility because I love you, and people make fun of me. But its you, God. You showed me something about where you dwell, and I just can't shake it. I know this is from you...that it pleases you. And I know that I know that this is exactly what is going to protect me in a time of trouble. My zeal is pleasing to you, and because of that, I'm all in. So this is what I pray: at the right time...when trouble sweeps the land...show that my zeal was right by the way you save me from what swallows everyone else up."
God didn't tell David to chill out. Just the opposite, in this very same passage, God relayed to David something amazing. He confirmed that the Messiah, Jesus Christ...David's heir...would share this same reality...and that nothing David was experiencing would be outside of the experience of the very Son of God:
Psalms 69:20-21 Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Here, the Psalm relates David's experience to what Jesus would experience on the cross. Jesus himself related back to this very experience of David by throwing over the tables in the temple and letting his disciples connect it to David's very words "zeal for your house has consumed me."
Everyone has zeal for something. Some people see the trouble coming and have zeal to prepare for it. Maybe their zeal for security is expressed in their preparation to hunker down with some guns and food to withstand the trouble. Others don't have enough concern about trouble and their zeal might be for sleep, comfort, or experiences...a balanced life...a new house...a better job. This is the definition of zeal:
1. fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic, diligence; ardor.
For many rational people, there are some things you are prioritizing in your life, and there is "one thing" that drives the priorities. I relate to this because, for a long time, my "one thing" was comfort.
I would have NEVER defined myself as zealous for comfort...I didn't see myself that way at all. I saw myself as a sincere lover of God, and that was reflected in my love for family and my commitment to our material and spiritual success. I stood for God...I stood for my family time...I stood for hard work....but all these "pieces" of my life I was maintaining at a level orchestrated to produce comfort. I went after God enough to make me feel settled that I was "all in." God was priority number one for years...but still one priority in a mix of others. I added to that my priority for family...again...way high up on the list, but sharing space with others. I had a successful business that I thought required some non-negotiable commitments. This finely honed formula of living left me in a very comfortable spot! I felt holy enough, fatherly enough, successful enough...this is what zeal for comfort looks like. Zeal for security might look really responsible...it might look "Jesus based"...but if your zeal is for anything less than knowing God fully...being face to face with him, then it is misplaced.
There is no place in the Bible that agrees with a balanced lifestyle. To be like Jesus isn't to have "the right priorities"....it is to have only one priority. One focus, and the rest might as well be dead. Jesus said unbelievers worry about food and clothes for tomorrow, let alone the lesser priorities like jobs, money, retirement, vacations, entertainment, bunkers, guns...
Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
And what should be the only trouble of the day worth focusing on? How to get deeper into the kingdom! How do I get closer to you, Jesus?!! Every other problem should pale in comparison to a wholehearted "one-thing I desire" lover of Jesus.
This is not radical Christianity...this is the only Christianity there is, but to many this sounds radical! This one-thing reality of being a Christian is nearly untaught in the American church, but that is because the American church is, by and large, the lukewarm, balanced, "prepared"...without need...ready to meet the future... Laodicean Church of the end-times.
Revelation 3:14-21 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
This rebuke from Jesus IS love, because God's message throughout the Bible for the end-time generation is this: THE COMFORT IS GOING. You don't need CNN to tell you this, because the Bible says it over and over...BUT, CNN IS saying it, too. And so is Fox News, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal!
God is going to strip away every strength of mankind so that the only thing left standing is zeal for His house. Every man-based...physical strength-based...plan to survive the trouble will fail, by design. God is looking for those that make "zeal for His house" their plan for a time of trouble. Everything else will be added.
Revelation 13:9-10 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
To grow in zeal is to grow in Christ-likeness. This is something God has been revealing to me for a while. One thing that has marked my journey from a comfort-seeking guy to a wholehearted lover of Jesus has been zeal. Specifically, zeal for His house. When God began to show me the difference between sincere love for Him and WHOLEHEARTED love for Him, I decided I couldn't settle for just sincere, I had to learn how to be wholehearted....to love Him with everything...all of my time, money, strength. I am not talking about quitting my job, I am talking about quitting my dream of living my best life now and trading it for finding out how closely I can know, experience, and agree with God.
As this transition in my life took place, zeal started to invade my comfort-soaked life. This started to change many of my relationships. This is something that David had to wrestle through, as well:
Psalms 27:4-5 One thing I have desired of the Lord , That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord , And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
David saw something that was coming...a time of trouble...that was part of what drove his zeal. David was looking for a way to be face to face with God, what man was made for and placed in the garden. David saw there was a time of trouble coming when God would sweep away everyone who didn't share that same desire...a flood of trouble. David knew that zeal for the Lord's house was the answer...the antidote...to the time of trouble. David was so zealous for this reality...to dwell in the presence of God...that he made a lot of people, especially those near Him, very uncomfortable:
Psalms 69:6-15 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s children; Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, That became my reproach. I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate speak against me, And I am the song of the drunkards. But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord , in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, And let me not sink; Let me be delivered from those who hate me, And out of the deep waters. Let not the floodwater overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
Here, David is basically saying "God, this thing happening in my heart, this zeal...it is so overpowering, I'm afraid it is going to bring dishonor to You, Lord. No one who claims to know you seems to like the way my zeal for you is getting expressed. Even my family are distancing themselves from me because of who I becoming. I fast, and others don't like it. I repent in humility because I love you, and people make fun of me. But its you, God. You showed me something about where you dwell, and I just can't shake it. I know this is from you...that it pleases you. And I know that I know that this is exactly what is going to protect me in a time of trouble. My zeal is pleasing to you, and because of that, I'm all in. So this is what I pray: at the right time...when trouble sweeps the land...show that my zeal was right by the way you save me from what swallows everyone else up."
God didn't tell David to chill out. Just the opposite, in this very same passage, God relayed to David something amazing. He confirmed that the Messiah, Jesus Christ...David's heir...would share this same reality...and that nothing David was experiencing would be outside of the experience of the very Son of God:
Psalms 69:20-21 Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Here, the Psalm relates David's experience to what Jesus would experience on the cross. Jesus himself related back to this very experience of David by throwing over the tables in the temple and letting his disciples connect it to David's very words "zeal for your house has consumed me."
Everyone has zeal for something. Some people see the trouble coming and have zeal to prepare for it. Maybe their zeal for security is expressed in their preparation to hunker down with some guns and food to withstand the trouble. Others don't have enough concern about trouble and their zeal might be for sleep, comfort, or experiences...a balanced life...a new house...a better job. This is the definition of zeal:
1. fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic, diligence; ardor.
For many rational people, there are some things you are prioritizing in your life, and there is "one thing" that drives the priorities. I relate to this because, for a long time, my "one thing" was comfort.
I would have NEVER defined myself as zealous for comfort...I didn't see myself that way at all. I saw myself as a sincere lover of God, and that was reflected in my love for family and my commitment to our material and spiritual success. I stood for God...I stood for my family time...I stood for hard work....but all these "pieces" of my life I was maintaining at a level orchestrated to produce comfort. I went after God enough to make me feel settled that I was "all in." God was priority number one for years...but still one priority in a mix of others. I added to that my priority for family...again...way high up on the list, but sharing space with others. I had a successful business that I thought required some non-negotiable commitments. This finely honed formula of living left me in a very comfortable spot! I felt holy enough, fatherly enough, successful enough...this is what zeal for comfort looks like. Zeal for security might look really responsible...it might look "Jesus based"...but if your zeal is for anything less than knowing God fully...being face to face with him, then it is misplaced.
There is no place in the Bible that agrees with a balanced lifestyle. To be like Jesus isn't to have "the right priorities"....it is to have only one priority. One focus, and the rest might as well be dead. Jesus said unbelievers worry about food and clothes for tomorrow, let alone the lesser priorities like jobs, money, retirement, vacations, entertainment, bunkers, guns...
Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
And what should be the only trouble of the day worth focusing on? How to get deeper into the kingdom! How do I get closer to you, Jesus?!! Every other problem should pale in comparison to a wholehearted "one-thing I desire" lover of Jesus.
This is not radical Christianity...this is the only Christianity there is, but to many this sounds radical! This one-thing reality of being a Christian is nearly untaught in the American church, but that is because the American church is, by and large, the lukewarm, balanced, "prepared"...without need...ready to meet the future... Laodicean Church of the end-times.
Revelation 3:14-21 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
This rebuke from Jesus IS love, because God's message throughout the Bible for the end-time generation is this: THE COMFORT IS GOING. You don't need CNN to tell you this, because the Bible says it over and over...BUT, CNN IS saying it, too. And so is Fox News, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal!
God is going to strip away every strength of mankind so that the only thing left standing is zeal for His house. Every man-based...physical strength-based...plan to survive the trouble will fail, by design. God is looking for those that make "zeal for His house" their plan for a time of trouble. Everything else will be added.
Revelation 13:9-10 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
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