KEENNESS

MONDAY 04 DECEMBER 2023 It is always an honourable thing to be zealous in an honourable cause. More below!

Reference: Galatians 4:18 New International Version (NIV) "It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you."

Apostle Paul says, "It is always good to give your attention to something worthwhile." Simply put, devotion to a good cause or anything worth doing, is always good, when you have a deep interest in it.

Keenness is the quality of being zealous, eager or enthusiastic. In the context of this topic, it is two-sided. The first, in the order of importance is "The fire of love for God" and the second, "A powerful motivation" that moves us forward positively, in the direction of our pursuit, be it career, business, or anything worth accomplishing in life.

When it has to do with the fire of love for God, the Bible says, "never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11). In other words, "Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, as you serve the Lord." For me, I personally delight in "not growing slack in zeal, but rather, being fervent in spirit. This is because the instruction always gets me thinking about the importance or benefits of having a keen interest in the things of the Spirit.

For instance, it is through keen interest in active evangelism that continual spread of the knowledge of Christ is actualised, because we are constantly inspired by the Spirit to demonstrate the love of God in our world. His fervent, flaming love will always move us to keep winning souls, which denotes that such keenness is effectual in accomplishing God's purpose in our lives, to His own glory. Another instance is being keen or eager for gifts of the Spirit, especially to excel in those that build up the church. To that effect, 1st Corinthians 14:12 reads, "Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in gifts that build up the church" (BSB).

Beloved, if you want to always produce excellence in any aspect of human endeavour, keenness is the right button to press. Since it is a powerful motivator when invested in any good cause with sincere purpose, it implies that it strategically positions us to be more productive and evidently fruitful, such that others will see us from a positive light, and frankly speaking, anyone can experience true fulfilment and satisfaction through the application or manifestation. It is a spirit that prompts us to be determined in fulfilling God's purpose for our lives and it serves as the foundation and pillar of our durability in our various pursuits. More so, our daily tasks will always seem to be easier and even more satisfying when exerted from the standpoint of keen interest.

When you demonstrate an eagerness for serving the Lord, there is a divine energy that fills you with an unspeakable joy, and it comes from following the Holy Spirit bumper to bumper. He is the Spirit that helps us to take the right steps as we communicate with Him on a regular basis, which in turn, leads to substantive formation of progressive achievements and continued success. In fact, each new day, we should exude as much zeal as possible, in relation to following His leading process.

In my closing sentence, keenness is a vehicle that causes us to keep aligning ourselves with our vision, mission, and goals in any given field of practice. Therefore, keep engaging the principle and wear it as a fresh fitness, in order to keep fulfilling whatever God has committed into your hands to accomplish in His Kingdom and in your domain of relevance, both within and beyond the society you live and function in. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 26:11; Acts 4:31; 2 Peter 1:13; Revelation 3:19.

Exuberant Declaration: From eternal perspective, my zeal for the Lord is ever present in the practical value of my actions and activities based on the things of the Spirit. From earthly perspective, I'm always eager to perform the daily tasks in my field of knowledge with the right purpose and sufficient clarity, leading to sustained productivity and satisfactory outcomes. Hallelujah!