TRUE SONS OF GOD ARE FULL OF THE ZEAL OF THE LORD - 25

Isaiah 63:15, 18 says, "Look down from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? . . . The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary."

Men, the house of the Lord has also been robbed of purity evangelism, prayer, praise, worship, and the miraculous. The Scriptures also speak of things being "cut off" from the house of the Lord. Joel 1:16 says, "Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?"

Unfortunately a lot of what goes on inside many of our churches is far removed from the power and Holy-Spirit filled joy of the early church. Many of our modern day churches have so watered down God's Word that it is difficult to recognize any truth in them. The meat is certainly cut off before our eyes. What we have left is watered down milk that has little power to transform a single soul, let alone feed the starving multitudes.

Fatherhood and motherhood, as taught in the Scriptures, is strangely missing. The importance of receiving and raising the children God plans for us to have to reveal His likeness and image in the world is a definite taboo. A No No!

Jesus cleansed the temple and drove out the thieves because He was filled with zeal for the treasures of God's house. As men of God, we should also clothe ourselves with this same zeal. Isaiah 59:17 says, "For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak."

Men, there are some things that can only be accomplished through the zeal of the Lord. This hour in which we live calls for men of zeal. May God count me in! And you, too!

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell