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What the Bible says about Enthusiasm
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Ecclesiastes 11:2

To paraphrase, Solomon is saying, "Okay, you are committed. Be enthusiastic and generous in your commitment." We need to invest everything we have in this life of faith.

The phrase seven or eight means "many," not just these specific numbers.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles (Part 2)

Ecclesiastes 11:4

This verse is a warning against procrastination. Just because we do not have the complete picture is no excuse for inactivity. Solomon advises us to get moving because the good things God has to offer will not come to those who waiver (James 1:6-8). Do not procrastinate—plunge in!

Solomon was a mover and a shaker; he got things done. He learned right principles of how to make a success of his life. Though he is giving them to us in quaint illustrations—things we cannot easily relate to—he is nonetheless giving us steps to success with God. The key to this is the faith that God is with us and that He will work these things out, but He also requires things of us: decisive commitment, enthusiasm, putting off passivity, not procrastinating, and doing the right things with God.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles (Part 2)

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10

Whereas chapter 11 concentrated on exhorting us to be enthusiastically committed, the beginning of chapter 12 exhorts us not to forget God in our enthusiasm. It is easy to do.

Rejoice, he says—but do not forget God! God intends life to be good, but do not forget Him. This means, then, that if we enjoy life yet remember God, we will enjoy the things that He allows us to have, but we will never allow them to control us and will always keep our appetites in check because we fear God, want to impress Him, and want to do right and good. In this way, we will truly enjoy what God has given.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles (Part 2)

Romans 10:1-3

The Israelites were zealously religious. However, they erred in isolating sincerity and ceremony away from the truth as revealed in God's Word. Sincerity and ceremony are only parts of what makes a religion. The people attended services, flocked to the shrines, performed the rituals, and offered the sacrifices. But they did not worship according to knowledge or cultivate the righteousness of God. David writes, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalms 51:17). God despised Israel's sacrifices because the people did not offer them in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24).

In the United States people are generally religious too. American money bears the motto, "In God we trust." Churches seem to rise on almost every corner, and a great deal of talking about religion goes on. Many get caught up in the "spirit of the holidays." Radio stations play Christmas music constantly for weeks prior to the holiday. Polls indicate that a high percentage of Americans consider themselves religious. Eighty-four percent of Americans view God as the heavenly Father of the Bible who can be reached through prayer (The Princeton Religion Research Center, "Religion in America: 1992-1993"). But as a whole, we do not worship God in spirit and truth.

Worshipping in truth is knowing and following God's way of life. Worshipping in spirit can mean two basic things: 1) through and by means of the Spirit of God, and also 2) with sincerity, enthusiasm, and zeal. Jesus intends us to understand His words in John 4 in the same respect. Those who worship God must do it in truth through His Spirit with sincerity and zeal. They follow a way of life and practice a religion that pleases God. And their lives reflect the great transforming power of God.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Prepare to Meet Your God! (The Book of Amos) (Part Two)

Revelation 3:19

"Zealous" means "earnest, enthusiastic, to seek or desire earnestly, to have an ardent love," in contrast to their spiritual indifference. God desires them to have a burning desire for Him and His way of life. Instead, Revelation 3:14-21 paints a clear picture of people who are successful by the world's standards, yet spiritually deficient. They are devoid of spiritual judgment while rich with material substance. Their problem is an internal attitude: The mechanism that drives them is neither godly nor ardent.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church, and Laodiceanism


Find more Bible verses about Enthusiasm:
Enthusiasm {Nave's}
 




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