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Today, we are back to our series on Romans 12:9-21. This post is on verse 11 and is written by Wayne Gaines of M300 Ministries. I hope you will stop by and visit his website, M300 Ministries.org. He is doing marvelous work for the Lord around the world. I am so happy to bring you Wayne’s guest post…

Standing Strong in the Lord

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your
spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
(Romans 12:11 NIV)

As we consider “Behaving like Christians,” let us consider this single, short verse in Romans 12:11. It seems straightforward and simple right? If we lack zeal and spiritual fervor while serving the Lord, we are taking a chance that we won’t be pleasing unto Him. If we lack zeal for the things of God while serving Him then we become easily entangled and imprisoned by the hindrances that so easily beset us.

The Apostle Paul was a very zealous servant of the Lord, yet the Lord Himself had these words for the newly named Paul, “But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’” (Acts 9:15-16 NIV)

Sometimes, when we suffer, we begin to lack zeal and spiritual fervor. The Lord uses the Apostle Paul as an example of how we are to endure suffering as “good soldiers.” A good soldier is taught that suffering is part of the process of serving. When a good soldier suffers, his zeal is kicked in high gear. When a good soldier suffers, his spiritual fervor is elevated while serving the Lord.

There is a little known and little talked about secret that is known fully by those who suffer for the name of Jesus. At M300 Ministries, we are called to work in the hardest to reach places on earth and with men who go at the risk of their own blood. These men, called Valiant Warriors, have revealed their secret to not being found lacking in zeal and spiritual fervor while serving the Lord. It may surprise you to find that it is all summed up in a single powerful word…GRACE.

Yes, I know this is not normally what your Sunday school teacher would teach you about grace and it may not be what you would learn about grace from your pastor or minister who may not have had an occasion to suffer for the name of Jesus. The grace I am going to share with you is what is learned from those who have been beaten, maligned, kicked, and imprisoned because they dared to name the name of Jesus or to preach the Good News to the lost.

“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever.” (1 Peter 5:9-11 NIV) Amen.

We are called to resist the devil by the name of Jesus and to stand firm in the faith. We are reminded that our brothers around the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. Hold on tight now for verse 10 that says that “the God of all grace... after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Do you know the God of grace in this way? Yes, we serve a God of this kind of grace that restores, makes strong, firm, and steadfast. This is the grace that helps us to persevere and triumph over the enemy. This grace comes not from us but from the God of grace. Remember the Apostle Paul prayed for a thorn in the flesh to be removed yet it was not because God said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

God’s grace is sufficient to help us in our hour of trial, suffering, distress and disease. God’s grace is sufficient in all things so allow me to encourage you with Romans 12:11, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Learn to rely on the God of grace who can restore, make strong, firm, and steadfast.
For more thoughts on this subject, visit my site.

The other day, my husband, who plays the guitar, came across a site for guitar picks that are made of wood. Wooden picks, I thought? As he described the special wood that is used, I was intrigued and looked it up. The tree is called lignum vitae. I thought it was so interesting that I decided to share it with you. Here is what I found:

The tree’s wood was originally used and, in some cases, still used for…

* mallet heads
* axles
* bowling balls
* chisel handles
* other objects for absorbing great stress
* beer barrels
* propeller bushings, hydro bearings, ship bearings, saw blocks, other underwater applications for destroyers, submarines, mine sweepers, polar class icebreakers, and other large ship and unique products.

It is also used for medicinal purposes. Early in the 16th century, an explorer to the Caribbean heard about the tree and learned from the inhabitants that the tree contained curative properties for treating most ailments.

In recent times, scientists have found that two of the resin’s most active ingredients are effective as anti-inflammatory agents, local stimulants, and laxatives. The resin or balm also promotes circulation.

The resin is doubly useful for non-medicinal purposes and has one highly recognizable use. When it is mixed with an alcohol solution and sprayed on a surface, the mixture turns blue, revealing invisible blood traces by making it glow in the dark. This is the Luminol we see used as a forensic tool by the police and other investigators on television programs.

The lignum vitae tree, also called guaiac, has other very unique qualities, such as…

* it is highly durable
* if it burns, oil bubbles out
* it is slow-growing, broadleaf evergreen
* it is one of the hardest and heaviest woods
* it is exceptionally resistance to moisture and fungal attack
* it has a rich supply of fats and resins making the objects made from it contain natural lubricants and nearly impervious to water
* it offers extraordinary long life in what it produces.

The tree…

* is aromatic
* has no thorns
* is a strong structure
* is propagated by seed
* has a very showy trunk
* does not attract wildlife
* has no invasive potential
* is pest and disease resistance
* has blue flowers followed by golden fruit
* tolerates full sun or partial shade in a wide variety of soils
* its buds are heart-shaped and inside are the seeds of life and when it breaks open, it yields a red fruit.

Why do I bring you all this? For this very interesting point…lignum vitae is Latin for long life and has the name “tree of life.” I find that amazing!

Jesus is as our Tree of Life. This is what I see…

* He lubricates us with His oil of joy.
* He is Evergreen, giving us Eternal Life.
* He provides the golden fruit of the Spirit.
* His blood and grace are our precious balm.
* His Life is propagated by the seeds we sow.
* He is curative; His healing virtue flows through us.
* He brings extraordinary long life in what He produces.
* He gives us a rich supply of God’s grace and blessings.
* He bears the scars of the thorns that no longer surround Him.
* He is aromatic when the fragrance of His name is poured out.
* He keeps us hardened in order to withstand the storms of life.
* He makes us impervious to the penetrating waters of circumstances.
* He assists our growth, planting us in a wide variety of the soils of life.
* He is our strong structure, our high tower, our shelter from the enemy.
* He is our restorative oil of the Holy Spirit that life’s fiery trials attempt to destroy us.
* He sustains us to resist the infestuous pest and cures the venomous bite of the serpent.
* His balm produces the circulation in our spiritual veins necessary for living everyday life.
* He keeps us resistant to the spread of the spiritual fungi that attempt to attach to our spirits.
* He helps us tolerate the winds of adversity, the heat of the full sun in trials, and the shade of isolation.
* He is our anti-inflammatory agent, acting to reduce the inflammation of our hearts through pain and anger.
* Within His heart was that Seed of Life. When broken open, it yielded the scarlet fruit of salvation.

The Lord is the Tree of Life to us and “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Rev. 2:7 NKJV) Jesus said, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” (John 10:28 NKJV)

May you know all the precious qualities of Jesus as the Tree of Life. What other qualities do you, my precious readers, see in Jesus?