I remember the days when my wife and I would take off on a trip without any planning and sometimes not even knowing where we were going. We had a love for life and didn’t always put much thought into where we might end up. I had a four-day work week. My wife taught school and, on her summers off, I would come home from work on a Thursday evening, and the car would be packed…there were even times I didn’t even make it home; we would just meet in the parking lot at work. 
I would lock my car and get into hers, and off we would go. We would discuss while driving as to where we might end up. We just did things we enjoyed without ever second-guessing.
Now we are both older. We have grandchildren and we tend to think more about what we are going to do and whether we have enough time and Tylenol in the cabinet to cover our aches and pain. Ibuprofen suddenly became our best friend! I realized we had lost the zeal we once had.
Our local CBC congregations recently had a “5th Sunday night singing service.” We had come together for singing and praise, and some really good food! During the service, the lead pastor called for an offering and someone to help pass the plates. In an instant, two young men from two different congregations jumped up on opposite sides of the church and, without any planning, hesitation, or forethought, they sprang into action. Instantly, a smile came on my face as I watched the young men serve the Lord without question, and with enthusiasm.
It made me begin to think about my zeal. Do I have the Zeal to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I should or once had in my life? Paul, speaking to the Church in Rome, reminds them of this very same thing: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[g] serve the Lord.” Romans 12:11 ESV
May God bless you and instill in you the Zeal to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Brother John Swonger – CBC EX. Board
