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The Power of Enthusiasm
The Power of Enthusiasm
Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord (Romans 12:11)
For just a moment focus your mind on the word “fervent.” Fervent means to be marked by a great intensity of feeling; glowing. A companion word would be fervor which means to boil over, literally boiling over with interest and desire. When I think about being marked with a great intensity of feeling, one word leaps out at me, namely, enthusiasm. Even though our life does not always turn out as we would like it to, our enthusiasm for living and serving the Lord each day with a fervent spirit has the power to bring a ray of sunshine into our life even on a bad day.
Somewhere along the way I came across a description of enthusiasm that likened it to energy that boils over and runs down the pot. This is the kind of enthusiasm that should be evident in our everyday physical activities but it takes on a measure of greater importance when we consider our spiritual activities. Where there is a lack of enthusiasm spiritually the truth of God’s word is not as important as it should be. Where there is a lack of enthusiasm people are likely to be more interested in material things than that which is spiritual. Fact is that where enthusiasm is lacking for the spiritual things people will look for excuses not to be involved in the work of the church. Someone once said, ‘You can’t start a fire in someone else’s heart until it is burning in your own.’ How true that is!
Imagine for a moment would happen in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ if we had the same kind of enthusiasm, you see each weekend in football stadiums all over the country. It is excitement, enthusiasm boiling over and running down the pot! I know that everything in the church is to be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40) but believe me what we do must be done fervently in spirit and that means to be excited about it. I suppose it all really comes down to this, our enthusiasm just depends on what we are doing. If we really like it then we put ourselves into it, heart, body, soul and might otherwise we just go through the motions
Solomon gives us some good advice in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” This is good advice to follow in the physical realm but much better for the spiritual. To God be glory for ever and ever!
Charles Hicks, Gallatin Tennessee
