Planted by Water

It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good,  (Gal.4:18)

I blogged yesterday about Saul and his mad, angry passion against the enemies of God - a passion that was ‘in the Spirit.’ I believe in the need for leaders to be passionate about the Kingdom, the Church, God’s glory, God’s purpose etc. But just a little warning. Not long after posting, I was reading a number of things where Christian ‘leaders’ and writers were displaying passion and zeal, but in what I felt were mis-directed ways. They were on a moral soap-box, bewailing and berating the world. I often find myself asking ‘why do Christians have to be against everything?’ A lot of passion can be expended needlessly on being anti-everything, hostile, adversarial and confontational. It is right, at times, to confront things with passionate zeal, but let’s also show people what we are passionate for - and not just against!

In Galatians, Paul warns us that zeal is a fine thing - as long as the purpose is good. He gives examples of how people can be passionate in a mis-directed way - for religous traditions for example! (Gal.1:14) Many people can be passionate in a religious way - it then becomes more like a Pharisaical fanaticism as they mount their religious hobby-horses to ride out on their moral crusades. Let’s make sure our passion is not religious, but is ‘in the Spirit’ and for a good purpose.