*Above Only Devotional* TUES, DEC 11 *The Zeal of the Lord's House* _John 2:15-17 (GNB), Psalms 69:9 (NIV)_

*Above Only Devotional*

TUES, DEC 11

*The Zeal of the Lord's House*

_John 2:15-17 (GNB), Psalms 69:9 (NIV)_
_So he made a whip … and drove all the animals out of the Temple, …; he overturned the tables of the moneychangers ..; and he ordered those who sold the pigeons, "Take them out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that the scripture says, "My devotion to your house, O God, burns in me like a fire." *… zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me._

The word zeal has to do with having great passion and enthusiasm. There is a vital role that zeal plays in the kind of impact and results we have as God's children. Zeal produces commitment and diligence. Zeal is what will cause you to persevere in times of trials and persecutions. It will make you stand out and have great influence. Some people are only zealous about their personal affairs, but God wants us to be zealous for Him, His people, His will and purposes on the earth. At age 12, Jesus remained in the temple to listen to the temple leaders and ask them questions. When His parents asked Him why He had made them so worried and had to look everywhere for Him, ... He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.(Luke 2:49-50)

It was Nehemiah's zeal for God that caused him to respond and pray the way he did when he heard about the deplorable state of the walls of Jerusalem, Neh.1:3-4. His response is what allowed God to use him mightily to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore God's glory to His people. God will also use you mightily as you grow in your zeal for Him and His people. Colossians 4:12-13 says, Epaphras, who is one of you, a bond servant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you….Your testimony will be greater than that of Epaphras.

PRAYER FOCUS:
Receive God's grace to be strong and to resist every temptation to lower your spirituality and yield to carnality.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR READING PLAN
EZEKIEL 24-25; REV 3:1-11