Normally we are attracted to those who share our passion for art, music, a specific sport/hobby, or belief system. An employer will hire a person because they the candidate has common core values as well as determination, conviction about or a passion to do whatever may be needed in his/her business? That passion does not necessarily equate to being gregarious, high energy or extraverts because introverts can have strong passion as well. Such people have something that lights up within whenever a subject is brought up that they are zealous about. Some have called that passion a ‘fire in their box’. That was one of the qualifying factors I used to look for when considering asking someone to join our ministry team.
Paul boils down the walk of faith with Christ to these essential principles Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:11-12, NIV). This verse describes a person with fire in their box. People are drawn to those with a burning fervor for Christ that can be channeled but not contained.
In these verses Paul reveals to us three essentials to living this kind of life: 1) Be joyful in hope, 2) patient in affliction, 3) faithful in prayer. It needs to be understood that, like many common words today, the word translated hope here has been redefined through the years. The original usage was not the same as I hope I will get this job, win the lottery, or that my investment makes 50% this year. The hope Paul writes of is a strong expectation God will do what He says—like come back to take us with Him to Heaven. It’s not wishing; it’s confident believing, a deep, inner conviction that He loves you and is always working for your good—even if it is best for your future to go through a trial victoriously. When a person has this kind of hope an inner joy wells up that endures the bleakest of situations or environments.
The next essential is patient in affliction. Although we don’t like to think or say it, Jesus prophesied about our future saying, Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33b, NLT2) The Bible doesn’t say God will keeps us from trials and sorrows, but it DOES say He will always be with us just as He was with the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. You and I can have patience in difficult times by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame (Hebrews 12:2, NLT2).
The last essential is learning to be faithful in prayer. Please remember, prayer is more than a position we put our self in, although a humble position may assist us in prayer. Jesus didn’t always kneel to pray. Prayer is a lifestyle in which prayers flow deep within our spirit, through our head or out of our mouth as commonly as we breathe. Simply put, prayer is communication with Christ which, when our hope is genuinely in Him, flows naturally.
Ironically, sustainable joyfulness, patience in affliction and faithfulness prayer are not attributes we can manufacture out of sheer willpower. All are like a shadow that follows when walking in the light. Fire in our box flows only out of authentic oneness with Christ—not perfect behavior and certainly not out cold religion. The Pharisees’ religious words and behavior lacked genuine love for God. The writer of Hebrews offers a map for developing a fire in your box for Christ. It says let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us (Hebrews 12:1, NLT2). What might it be the Holy Spirit has been prompting you to lay aside in order to win the race with spiritual fervor?