Different Things God is teaching Me

WITH HIS ZEAL, HAVE HIS PEACE

"But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you."
~Galatians 4:18

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."
~Colossians 3:15

Jesus was zealous when He cleared His Father's house of the merchants, so that it would once again become a 'house of prayer'. "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." (John 2:17). Zealous people can tend to be passionate for the things they feel convicted of, to the point of being hot-headed. Yet Jesus was and is the Prince of Peace and thus could have perfect zeal because such zeal was tempered with peace. He did not whip and drive out anyone and everyone, because He had holy discernment for every situation He faced and the unique response that it required. Much of His rebuke was to the religious leaders of His day; very little did He do so toward those who imperfectly and willingly sought Him.

As we do our best to be imitators of God as dear children (Ephesians 5:1), due to our imperfect human nature, we can easily imitate one or a few vital characteristics of God, while at the same time disregarding the rest that are equally vital. We can be great imitators of Christ's zeal and yet be poor in imitating His peace; even though we ought to imitate both. We can deceive ourselves into thinking that it is not pride but holy passion that fuels us and that for every shade and shadow of turning that we perceive, demands we too make a whip of cords like our Master and heavily confront it.

The way we avoid that is to study, meditate, seek, and pray that the Holy Spirit help us to imitate God in ALL things; not just some, for the compromise of the rest. We should not be zealous apart from His peace, and we ought not to be peaceful without His zeal. As we zealously pray "Hallowed be Your Name (on earth); Your kingdom come (on earth); Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven" we must also pray in His peace, because it is only by His perfect will and not ours, that it will be accomplished.

As we begin seeking that perfect balance that only He, as a Divine Blacksmith, can fashion in us, let us have the mindset of a hospital and those who work as emergency responders. Not every appointment requires surgery, and not every situation will be a burning building. We must have discernment, specifically "Holy Spirit discernment", to recognize the situation before us and respond accordingly. "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." There will be times when we must drive out pretentious worshipers with whips, and other times require we longsuffer with ignorant Ninevites. May God continue to help us to know how to imitate and respond, like He does; for He is both the Lion & the Lamb.

"And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh."
~Jude 1:22-23

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!"
~Galatians 5:14-15