The Christian thinker should be a passionate person filled with ardor or zeal [both are synonymous with passion] - zeal for God and truth. The zeal expresses itself in a passion to know and to do the truth and to live a religiously reasonable form of life. It also helps make possible the vigilance [perseverance] necessary to stick to a life of study when it is not convenient or not particularly valued by those around you...An impatient generation looking for instant solutions and quick answers will be a generation of shallow slogans. (109-10)
I also came across these two virtues in a recent blog post by Ray Ortlund Jr at his blog Christ Is Deeper Still:
The righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1
"Two things urgently needed in ministers, if they would attempt great advances for the kingdom of Christ, are zeal and resolve. Their influence and power for impact are greater than we think. A man of ordinary abilities will accomplish more with zeal and resolve than a man ten times more gifted without zeal and resolve. . . . Men who are possessed by these qualities commonly carry the day in almost all affairs. Most of the great things that have been done in the world, the great revolutions that have been accomplished in the kingdoms and empires of the earth, have been primarily owing to zeal and resolve. The very appearance of a intensely engaged spirit, together with a fearless courage and unyielding resolve, in any person that has undertaken leadership in any human affair goes a long way toward accomplishing the intended outcome. . . . When people see a high degree of zeal and resolve in a person, it awes them and has a commanding influence upon them. . . . But while we are cold and heartless and only go on in a dull manner, in an old formal round, we will never accomplish anything great. Our efforts, when they display such coldness and irresolution, will not even make people think of yielding. . . . The appearance of such indifference and cowardice does, as it were, call for and provoke opposition. Our misery is lack of zeal and courage."
Jonathan Edwards, "Thoughts on the Revival," in Works, I:424, paraphrased.
I see 'zeal and resolve' as yet another facet of passion and perseverance. I think perseverance, resolve, persistence, or vigilance are all a product of both God's Spirit at works and us and our co-operation with Him in sanctification. For our part, I believe our choice to persevere is informed by our mind and our emotions. Generally, I think we know that persisting is the right thing to do. But our emotions are not always 'on board' with that decision. And that is where passion comes in.
Being passionate, having zeal and ardor, is the emotional stance that will help us to persevere. Passion is basically strength of emotion and zeal is tireless devotion. When we are passionate our emotional state is one that cries "keep on keeping on".
Keep your eyes open for another post describing how to maintain passion in your life.
"Two things urgently needed in ministers, if they would attempt great advances for the kingdom of Christ, are zeal and resolve. Their influence and power for impact are greater than we think. A man of ordinary abilities will accomplish more with zeal and resolve than a man ten times more gifted without zeal and resolve. . . . Men who are possessed by these qualities commonly carry the day in almost all affairs. Most of the great things that have been done in the world, the great revolutions that have been accomplished in the kingdoms and empires of the earth, have been primarily owing to zeal and resolve. The very appearance of a intensely engaged spirit, together with a fearless courage and unyielding resolve, in any person that has undertaken leadership in any human affair goes a long way toward accomplishing the intended outcome. . . . When people see a high degree of zeal and resolve in a person, it awes them and has a commanding influence upon them. . . . But while we are cold and heartless and only go on in a dull manner, in an old formal round, we will never accomplish anything great. Our efforts, when they display such coldness and irresolution, will not even make people think of yielding. . . . The appearance of such indifference and cowardice does, as it were, call for and provoke opposition. Our misery is lack of zeal and courage."
Jonathan Edwards, "Thoughts on the Revival," in Works, I:424, paraphrased.
I see 'zeal and resolve' as yet another facet of passion and perseverance. I think perseverance, resolve, persistence, or vigilance are all a product of both God's Spirit at works and us and our co-operation with Him in sanctification. For our part, I believe our choice to persevere is informed by our mind and our emotions. Generally, I think we know that persisting is the right thing to do. But our emotions are not always 'on board' with that decision. And that is where passion comes in.
Being passionate, having zeal and ardor, is the emotional stance that will help us to persevere. Passion is basically strength of emotion and zeal is tireless devotion. When we are passionate our emotional state is one that cries "keep on keeping on".
Keep your eyes open for another post describing how to maintain passion in your life.
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