Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
The weather all week had been frigid, and Sunday morning was no exception. It was taking a while for the sanctuary in our church building to warm up. But when the music started, I stood and began singing praises to the Lord. Not surprisingly, the chill dissipated as I moved. I sensed the Holy Spirit whispering a spiritual truth, “The way to keep from becoming a cold Christian is to keep moving.” He must have not wanted me to miss the message, because the very next song we sang was “God is on the Move.”
Not only do I not want to be among the chosen frozen, but if God is on the move, I want to be on the move with him.
My friend, Sue Brown, writes in her book, Of God and Genders, how important it is for believers to keep moving. She refers to the virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 who “rises while it is yet night” (verse 15). Night signifies more than physical dusk. In times of spiritual and emotional darkness when it’s easy to let fear and confusion paralyze us, we must choose to rise up. Get moving!
I understand the lure of staying warmly tucked in bed. Who doesn’t like being comfortable? Moving when God says move isn’t always comfortable. Just ask Abraham or any of the patriarchs of our faith. But immobilization will never get us to our destination. And Friend, we have a great destination if we don’t succumb to detours.
I recently heard a speaker warn that the world wants to reduce our purpose to something small and self-focused. The world tells us comfort is better than sacrifice. Security should be pursued more than that risky Holy Spirit. Success rather than faithfulness. I don’t think there’s anything that will chill our souls more than listening to the world’s advice.
So let’s pursue what the Scripture calls us to pursue. Do whatever is necessary to stir up our zeal for God. Keep our spiritual fervor by serving the Lord. Let’s finish our race and pass on the baton with hearts burning for Him. We don’t have to become cold Christians.