MUTUAL LOVE SERIES – “Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the LORD (08/15/2025)

She’s one of those people you want on your team regardless of the race because what she lacks in expertise, she more than makes up for in enthusiasm. Give her a task and she’ll get it done, and all the while you’ll know her joy in serving the LORD and others will be evident.

She may not be able to quote Paul’s third duty of discipleship, but she gets it – “Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the LORD.” She’s the sermon we would rather see, faith in action, joyful and enthusiastic service of the LORD rendered through her service to her sisters and brothers.

All of us who associate ourselves with Christ by using His name to define ourselves – Christians – should recall with humility that the last two things he did with his disciples before giving His life for us all was to wash the disciples’ feet – a humbling service – and share himself through the bread and wine – His body and blood. Anyone who uses the identifying label of Christian must understand from Christ’s life, especially his final days, that following in His footsteps will require service. But it isn’t to be given with a scowl, it is to be embraced enthusiastically – literally “God within”.

That’s one of the things that especially stands out in the woman I mentioned – her enthusiasm for serving because she sees in it a way to shine light upon the very love that fuels her life and service without speaking a word. She gets Jesus command to love one another as He has loved us and she’s found that she can do that through her time and energy spent for the good of and love of others.

As we go forward on our journeys of faith, hope and love, we may want to check our “zeal” level. Is it running low? Do we need to spend some time with our LORD in prayer followed up with time literally “spent” serving others? While it may appear to those who do not understand that this time spent is lost, but to Christians, it is understood that it is not “spent” but invested and will reap interest. We understand that the LORD’s “Way” is often ironic – the more one gives, the more one finds one has.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.