Fervency

“Whoso keepeth [God’s] word,” says the apostle John, “in him verily is the love of God perfected.”* (1 John 2:5) This implies most clearly that those who do not keep God’s commandments are not perfected in love. There is such a thing as loving in word and tongue, and not in deed and in truth. We are commanded to be “fervent in spirit.”* (Romans 12:11) Apollos, “being fervent in the spirit… spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord.”* (Acts 18:25) The word fervent is translated from the Greek term zeo and means to boil, to be hot. In Latin it is fervens and fervo, to be hot and to swell with heat; to swarm as bees whose motion resembles the boiling of water.

In the religious world today there is much deadness, coldness, etc. The love of many is waxing cold. To serve God acceptably is to be fervent in spirit. The Apostle Paul was charged with being mad, but he was only fervent in spirit. We are commanded to “love one another with a pure heart fervently.”* (1 Peter 1:22) We are to love with a love that is warm; a love that makes it felt by its ardor.

John Bunyan tells of the threats Satan made to rob him of the warmth of love:

“You are very hot for mercy,” Satan said, “but I will cool you; this frame shall not last always; many have been as hot as you for a [short time], but I have quenched their zeal.”

“Well, I will watch,” said Bunyan, “and take what heed I can.”

“Though you do,” said Satan, “I shall be too hard for you; I will cool you insensibly, by degrees, by little and little. What care I, saith he, though I be seven years in chilling your heart if I can do it at last? Continual rocking will lull a crying child asleep. I will ply it close, but I will have my end accomplished. Though you be burning hot at present, yet, if I can pull you from this fire, I shall have you cold before it be long.”

[John Bunyan; Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners]

Satan is making greater effort today to lull souls to sleep than ever before, and it is alarming to see how well he is succeeding. Under his opiates of worldliness, the love of many is growing cold. Many are losing their first love. May God awaken slumbering souls! You can abound more and more in love; you can become more and more spiritual; your soul can glow and quiver in the intense heat of God’s love. Someone has asked, “How can I keep myself in the fervor of love?” The Bible answers the question: by praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20-21). It is in the spiritual prayers that the soul is fed and made to glow with heaven’s love. Recently I was thrown for a time among a number of cold-hearted professors of religion. My soul cried for the Lord, “Fill me, O God, more and more with the fullness of Thy love, that my example may beget love in others.”

It is only the fervent in spirit who can walk with God. Those whose hearts are aflame with love and devotion can go hand in hand with Him. The lukewarm cannot walk with Him. He would rather not have you in His company at all if you cannot be fervent in spirit and love.