Up or down?

I don't know about you, but over lockdown there's been a creeping sense of monotony for many people.  I heard is referred to as 'Ground Hog Day' with reference 90s film of that title.   But as I was reading this week I re-read this verse and it really impacted me:

Romans 12:11 (TPT) "Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion towards him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him"

It is up to us to stir ourselves up and to be enthusiastic, and keep our passion for the Lord boiling away!  How do we do this in a situation like lockdown?  The same way we do when life is more 'normal'.   We keep reading God's word, worshipping him, praying in tongues, praying, and thanking him.It's not complicated, but it requires us do actually do something! 

As a result of keeping ourselves focussed on God's goodness and his amazingness, we can't help be passionate about him and his love for us.  When we are filled with this excitement, it spills over into our Christian service.  

We may not be able to serve in the usual ways, but we can serve others by being kind, gracious, positive, loving and encouraging.  We can be polite and joyful in the shops, we can contact the lonely, pray for those who need encouragement. 

It's easy for us to slip into complacency, but God never said we were to fulfil the great commission only when it was easy.   We are called daily to preach the gospel, teach and make disciples, heal the sick, raise the dead! Maybe we have to get creative with how we do those things, but we have a creative God, who will inspire creativity in us!

We need to keep ourselves stirred up.  We are the joy-bringers, the love-givers, the kind hearted enthusiastic servants of the Most High God!  In days where there seems to be no hope, we are the only ones that have the answer to bring hope: Jesus. 

Kind David said 

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God" 
Psalms 42:5 (NIV) 

He knew what it was like to feel down, and with good reason, but David's strength and victory always came back to looking at God, not his failings, his enemies or his circumstances!

So, today it's time let go of whatever has taken our focus and bring it back to the amazingly wonderful love of God.  Let's be enthusiastic about serving God in whatever ways he lays before us.  Let's not be discouraged by the state of the world, our circumstances or anything else, but let's step up to proclaim God's goodness to draw all people to him.

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