A Passionate Devotion To The Will Of God

His family … went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind”.
Mark 3:21

Fanatic! That’s a word that evokes the image of a wild-eyed, sign-toting religious zealot, and that is unfortunate.

Jesus’ popularity with the common people and his zeal for the business of heaven prompted even his friends and family to conclude that he was beside himself, a fanatic.

But for the Christian there can be no higher compliment, as G. Campbell Morgan explains.

WALK WITH G. CAMPBELL MORGAN
“People today never seem to think that passionate and sacrificial devotion suggests madness in any realm except the spiritual.

“No one suggests that the athlete, who gives himself totally to his sport and sacrifices all for the sake of physical prowess, is beside himself.

“No one imagines that the businessman, who is so devoted to amassing wealth that he shortens his life, is beside himself.

“No! This suggestion is retained only for those whose service for the souls of men and women is sacrificial.

“Let all such servants be comforted. They are in holy comradeship! At the same time, let them determine to be among those who have the highest resemblance to the Son of Man, because they are devoted to the will of God.”

WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Lord, show me areas of my life in which—because of my fear of being labeled a fanatic—I have ceased to be excited and moved and compelled by you.

May I always be a fanatic more of heavenly endeavors than of earthly pursuits.

A zealot more for holiness than for hobbies.

An enthusiast more of lost sinners than of sports.

A lover more of Christ than of personal goals.

I pray this in the name of the one whose zeal for his Father’s house consumed him. Amen.