Attitudes of Collaboration II
Romans 12:9-13
Last week we discussed the first three attitudes of collaboration: love for God and others, a can-do attitude, and passion. I would like to look at the latter two and add another if time allows.
Romans tells us to not be lazy or slothful in business but fervent in spirit. This carries two ideas the first of which is a can-do attitude. If God be for us, who can be against us, Romans 8:31? To understand this, we need to be mindful of a couple things. First, God is bigger, period. If God wants us to do something, what or who can stop it? Therefore, be not afraid. Secondly, God works in mysterious ways. When Joshua went to Jericho with the children of Israel and walked around the town so the walls would fall that is fairly mysterious. Once again, be not afraid!
Now let us look at being full of passion or fervent in spirit. When I think of spirit, I think of David when he sees Goliath. He is outraged that the Philistine was defiling the name of their Lord. His passion fueled him to the point that He forgot about his own agendas and wellbeing and went right to the defense of truth with great confidence.
I also think of Peter who was known as a man who continually put his foot in his mouth, but he did it with passion. His passion at first was misplaced but once God focused him, he turned the world upside down. Peter’s passion even forced him to try to fight a band of soldiers by himself in which he even cut off a soldier’s ear. His passion pushed him to attempt the impossible. What will you attempt for God today? What will you attempt this week? What will you attempt this year? God wants so much to use us so let us set our affections on heavenly things, I Chronicles 29:3, Col. 3:2.