9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.—Romans 12:9-12
The verses above are a series of exhortations from Paul concerning the believer’s personal attitudes. They are pithy and straight to the point. The Spirit focused me in this morning on verse 11 whose key thought is in the last clause…serving the Lord.
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Pretty convicting…here it is again in the Amplified.
never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord;
Romans 1:1 reminds me, that I, like Paul, am the Lord’s doulos or slave. This is how, as His slave, I am to serve Him. Not shrinking…not hesitating…not being lazy or slothful, but diligently. I am also to be fervent or “boiling” in the spirit. When we serve Christ, we often face days of discouragement and opposition either from the enemy within or the one without. Or worse, we can get complacent and serve the Lord out of obligation rather than love. We forget who we serve. Serving then becomes a “have to” rather than a “get to”.
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.—Revelation 2:4.
Paul tells us to keep our spiritual zeal by remembering that we serve the Lord and not men.
Colossians 3 came to mind here.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
And also Ephesians 2:10:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Father…
I so want to have the kind of devoted and fervent spirit that serves You diligently and enthusiastically. Oh, protect me, Father, from the tyranny of me! Keep my mind stayed on You! Pour out Your love in my heart. Help me to remember that whatever I do in word or in deed, I am to do it as unto You, my God. Serving You is my purpose. Oh, Father…make it my joy. You alone are my hope. You are the basis for all my rejoicing. Remind me to be continually and faithfully in prayer for Your wisdom and guidance as I walk through my day. In my affliction help me to be patient and kind. Be my strength and my song so that those around me see You and not me.
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:28-31
Unto You I lift up my eyes,
O You who dwell in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the LORD our God,
Until He has mercy on us.—Psalm 123:1-2
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.—Galatians 6:9
