Do not let up in your zeal, but let the fire of the Holy Spirit grow stronger in you.
Romans 12:11
If you've been married for many years, everyone has their job and hobbies and lives, a certain distance from your partner develops over time. This has nothing to do with not loving the other person anymore, but with falling in love becoming something else. Do you remember how it was when you were in love? The butterflies in your stomach, the lack of appetite, the sleepless nights? The fact that your entire thinking revolved exclusively around the other. What would you not have done to become the number 1 in someone else's life? And now, 20 or 30 years later? The fire that burned hot and scorching in us at the time has become embers. Still radiating warmth but cooler.
And what about our life as a Christian? Do you remember the first love? You wanted to change the world, make it a better place, give your life for Jesus Christ, tell everyone and everyone about Jesus and life with him. You read the Bible for hours, attended every hour of prayer, attended church services and seminars and used every opportunity to refer to Him in a conversation. The fire of the Holy Spirit burned hot and scorching within us. And yes, sometimes it was even so hot that the other person turned away in fright.
And today, 20 or 30 years later? Is this fire still burning in us or has it developed into embers? Have we become accustomed to Jesus as well as to our partner. Has our faith become a tradition and has it cooled? Is our willingness to help the same as when we first started being a Christian, or have we become more distant through the experiences we've had?
Are we like the church in Ephesus? Revelation chapter 2 verse 5.
As Christians, we must feed this fire that the Holy Spirit has kindled within us, otherwise it cannot burn. Prayer, Bible reading, forgiveness, repenting regularly and confessing our sins, fellowshipping with other Christians and attending church is the wood that keeps this fire burning.
Sometimes it takes discipline to return to the state of first love, sometimes it takes a new encounter with the One who gave his life for us, sometimes turning back and sometimes losing the ground under our feet.
Do not let up in your zeal!
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