A Year 4 Transformation: Day 153-Yearning and Zeal

Passage of the Day:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. ¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you, Titus 2:11-15.

Reflection:

The students at the Methodist Church in Colombus, Indiana where I served as youth director came up with an acronym to describe their youth group BLAZ. The B is for Bible, L for love, A for and and Z for Zeal. During a portion of my time in 1993, a revival broke out as the Holy Spirit led teenagers to give their hearts to Jesus. This was the most spiritually mature students that I ever led or was a part in my 15 years of youth ministry. The two common traits my student leadership team possessed was a yearning for God and a zeal to grow in their faith.

Prayerful Action:

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord, Romans 12:10-11.

Building Up Bible Believing Behaviors:

As today marks another end to a month this year, I thought combining two godly behaviors would provide a strong finish for May. Yearning is the intense longing for something, often in the form of a feeling or strong sensation deep inside of you. Meanwhile, biblical zeal is a single-minded desire fueled by enthusiasm and devotion. Although everyone tends to wear down emotionally over time, those that yearn for and possess a zeal for God will be elevated spiritually. This is the importance of adding yearning with zeal.

Song of the Day: