For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)
Zealous for good works.
Zealous.
Zealous simply means to have an intense burning or eager desire for something.
We, dear sister in Christ, are to have an intense, burning desire for good works. And my question, for both you and for me, is this: Are we zealous for good works? What do we long for? Burn for? Crave or chase after?
Seriously. Take a minute and ask yourself this question. Ponder what your heart truly wants. What do you spend your time thinking about, talking about, or working for?
Some may say, and honestly so, that they crave a relationship with Jesus above all else. I crave this — for myself and for those I love.
But does my craving (or lack of craving) for good works somehow affect this relationship I want with Jesus?
Don’t get me wrong. I am in no way saying that my good works or your good works lead to Salvation. Salvation comes by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, what I do wonder is this:
When my burning desire for good works is not much more than a dying ember, is my relationship with my Savior just as cold?
Lord in heaven, I do not have the answers to these questions. I do know, however, that my zeal for good works often runs cold. Please forgive me. Thank you for your forgiveness and the cleansing blood of your Son Jesus. I ask God that you rekindle a desire in me for good works. Remind me to rely on your Spirit to accomplish good works and to give you the glory for them. I pray this all in the name of your Son. Amen.
When my burning desire for good works is not much more than a dying ember, is my relationship with my Savior just as cold? Click To Tweet
This post was written while reading quietly through God’s word. If you are interested in a simple Bible reading plan, check this post out. If you are already following the Quietly Through Reading Plan, here is the bookmark for November, Year Two.
Only by grace,
Kelli
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You may enjoy these link ups as well: Chasing Community, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement, Monday @ Soul Survival, RaRaLinkUp, #Tea&Word, Warriors in the Word
5 comments
So true, Kelli. And, it’s a cyclical thing, isn’t it? The fruit is a result of the relationship and the relationship is a result of the fruit… 🙂 Happy to be able to link with you today! I don’t always have posts that are purely scripture-based, so I don’t get to link here often. 🙂 The post today has tons of scripture references, though, so thought it’d be okay to link here. 🙂 Thanks for hosting! Happy November to you, friend. xoxo
Zealous for good works, yes. And to bring glory to God. Usually when my burning desire for good works runs cold I haven’t spent enough time at my Savior’s feet, resting in Him and learning from Him. I’m trying to run on my own power instead.
Yes, it is cyclical!!! I love that you pointed this out. Thanks for linking up today. 🙂
Kelli, your question- “When my burning desire for good works is not much more than a dying ember, is my relationship with my Savior just as cold?” Wow. Convicting!
This gave me cause for pause. (Not always a bad thing) 😉
Thanks for sharing! And for the link up!
These are great questions, Kelli! Something to really think about: if I’m cold about good works, is my relationship with Christ just as cold? Thanks for giving me something to chew on today.