‘Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.’ Romans 12:11 NIV3/2/2025 This verse emphasises the importance of maintaining enthusiasm and passion in our walk with God. The Moffat translation is: ‘Never let your zeal flag; maintain the spiritual glow; serve the Lord’.
This speaks of a constant, ongoing action, not something that occurred once in the past. Our relationship with God is to be burning intense. John the Baptist prophesied: “He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” A natural fire needs oxygen, fuel, and heat to stay alight. For our spiritual lives to remain alight, we need the breath of the Spirit, God’s word, and passionate prayer. Without these three working together, the spiritual flame in our lives cannot burn brightly. In the 1800s, the National Park Service took over care of Kings Canyon Park, California. When there was a lightning strike, the rangers worked hard to prevent the forest fires from spreading. More than 100 years later, they discovered that they had been working against the Giant Redwood trees, new trees were not springing up and growing. Giant Redwoods produce hard cones. During a fire, the cones are heated, causing them to split open and the seeds inside fall to the ground and then germinate - without fire, the next generation of Redwoods could not grow. Fire also has a purifying process in forests, it clears away all the leaves built up on the forest floor, giving space for new growth. Fire also creates a hole in the forest canopy, allowing more light and water in for the seedlings. The rangers had tried to control and manipulate the fire, and in so doing, the next generation could not flourish. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul warns us, “Do not quench the Spirit,” which means we should allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in the church. The Holy Spirit is actively at work in the world. However, if we fail to listen to the Spirit’s guidance, we risk missing the opportunity to be part of God’s work. If we allow the fire of God to fall in our own lives, the hardness will be removed and there will be a purifying. More light will flood in. The fire is necessary for growth. If we get on fire, the people around us will get on fire, our children will get on fire, and our children’s children will get on fire, they will flourish and grow - that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified!
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