Where is your enthusiasm? I live within 20 minutes of the University of Alabama. Talk about enthusiasm! It is consuming to Alabama fans 365 days a year. When Alabama football is in the season the entire area is governed by who they will play and which players will play. Off-season their talk is pretty much the same. The enthusiasm never ends. This is one example of enthusiasm that dominates our society. We get enthusiastic over sporting events, shopping trips, family gatherings, families expanding with new births, and even movies that are being released. Enthusiasm seems to dominate every area of society except our relationship with God.
These days, when materialism and secularism are sweeping the world it is affecting Christians and the church almost as much as it does the world. We have failed to understand what “God first” really means. When he is truly all you need and everything to you, it’s easy to get excited. The word enthusiasm indicates intense excitement. The noun enthusiasm comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos, from enthous, meaning “possessed by a god, inspired.” It was originally used in a derogatory sense to describe excessive religious zeal. Where did this kind of enthusiasm go? When was the last time you heard someone criticizing you for being excited about God?
Giving God the glory for the things in our lives is not just proclaiming it to other Christians. The greatest way he can gain glory is for you to weave His name and His goodness into everyday conversations with those who do not know Him.
In Matthew 5:16, we are told to let our light shine. No need to emphasize our light in the church, the church should be full of light, and when there is a room full of light, one light is not distinctive. We are to let our light shine in a dark world. Being enthusiastic about our Savior shines our light to those who don’t know him. It will give them a reason to ask us, “What is it about us that is so different.”
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
We can show our enthusiasm in the workplace by being the very best employees possible. We are to work hard, to be a team player, not a cutthroat, seeking ways to reach the top, by stepping on all in the way. People in our workplace see what is making us tick. They should understand that the most important part about us is our faith. Our actions need to support our faith, not contradict it. We are not to be lazy, but people of integrity.
Romans 12:11 “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;”
Those in our neighborhoods should see us as good neighbors, and we should be available to help meet their needs. It is all part of building a relationship, not so they will see and know us, but so they will know the one who lives within us. We should not grow weary in doing good to those who don’t seem to understand why we live the way we do. In due time our enthusiasm will pay off, because of who that enthusiasm is based on.
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”
I should do all that we do to bring glory to God. I do what I do because I do it for Him. I’ve had people ask me why I keep serving when others don’t seem to care. Why do I plan things and others don’t follow through, and I seemingly get stuck doing things by myself? It gives me great pleasure to let them know, I’m doing my service for the Lord, others just happen to reap the benefit. This verse in Colossians has kept me from suffering what many Christians call “burn-out.” I can’t do too much for the One who gave His life for me. Nothing is enough.
Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
Our hearts should be filled so full of Jesus that everywhere we go it is not us they see, it is Christ within us. Our focus should seek to reveal him and our love for him in every situation. When you love Christ so much that you try to weave him into your conversations at every turn, you will be an enthusiastic Christian. We tell everyone about our grandchildren and our children. We show their pictures to strangers. We post them on Facebook and Instagram because we are enthusiastic about them.
I challenge you to be that enthusiastic about your Lord and Master. Just test your love for Him. You’ll know how much you love Him by how much you talk about Him, and how many people you share Him with. Watch yourself, listen to your conversations, and find out where your real enthusiasm lies.
