November 22The zeal of thine house hath consumed me — Psa. 69:9.
Cold, calculating people may have other good qualities, but there is no room for coldness or even luke-warmness on the part of those who have once tasted that the Lord is gracious. With such, the love enkindled should lead to a consuming zeal. It was thus with our Lord Jesus, and this was one of the reasons why He was beloved of the Father. Let all who desire to be pleasing in the Lord's sight become so filled with the same spirit of zeal for righteousness and truth that it will consume them as sacrifices upon the Lord's altar. Thus they will be most pleasing and acceptable to Him through Jesus our Lord—Z '98, 112 (R 2288). Zeal is an energetic devotion to, and lively activity in, a cause. Properly developed in a child of God, it is a combination of a number of qualities, prominent among which are faith, hope, love, activity, enthusiasm and obedience. In God's children, zeal is directed to the furtherance of God's Plan, and it acts toward principles and persons, varying as their attitude and relation to God's Plan varies. Accordingly, it acts favorably toward some principles and persons and unfavorably toward other principles and persons. The zeal of God's house, i.e., both the zeal that is for and peculiar to the Lord's house, implies an energetic devotion to, and activity for the Church according to the Word. As with Jesus, so with us, such a zeal is self-sacrificial, consuming us and all that we have and hope to be and to have as human beings—P '34, 160. Parallel passages: Josh. 24:15, 16; 1 Chron. 29:17; 2 Chron. 15:15; Ezra 7:23; Psa. 119:139; Eccles. 9:10; Isa. 62:6, 7; Matt. 5:13-16; John 9:4; Rom. 12:11; 1 Cor. 13:3; 15:58; 2 Cor. 4:8-10, 13, 16-18; Gal. 4:18; 6:9; Titus 2:14; 2 Pet. 3:14; Jude 3; Rev. 3:19. Hymns: 8, 95, 134, 192, 259, 44, 78. Poems of Dawn, 164: My Heart's Desire. Tower Reading: Z '13, 168 (R 5250). Questions: Have I been zealous for the Lord this week? Wherein? How? Why? What helped or hindered therein? With what results? |
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MY HEART'S DESIRE
DEAR Master, long I've sought
A grain of "wheat" to find,
My heart's desire has been,
Just one with truth to bind!
Perhaps Thou canst not trust
Thy servant with this work,
Because some earth-born pride
Within my breast doth lurk.
If thou dost find this, Lord,
Oh, send affliction's fire,
Burn out the dross, the gold refine,
And grant my heart's desire!
Perhaps I've sought a path,
Thou hast not marked for me,—
Forgive, I only thought
Some work to do for Thee!
I own no will of mine,
The place I would not choose,
But simply give mine all
To Thee as Thou canst use.
My thoughts, my words, my deeds,
Dear Lord, make pure by fire,—
Ah, then, I know that Thou
Canst grant my heart's desire!
DEAR Master, long I've sought
A grain of "wheat" to find,
My heart's desire has been,
Just one with truth to bind!
Perhaps Thou canst not trust
Thy servant with this work,
Because some earth-born pride
Within my breast doth lurk.
If thou dost find this, Lord,
Oh, send affliction's fire,
Burn out the dross, the gold refine,
And grant my heart's desire!
Perhaps I've sought a path,
Thou hast not marked for me,—
Forgive, I only thought
Some work to do for Thee!
I own no will of mine,
The place I would not choose,
But simply give mine all
To Thee as Thou canst use.
My thoughts, my words, my deeds,
Dear Lord, make pure by fire,—
Ah, then, I know that Thou
Canst grant my heart's desire!
