Passion, desire, or zeal?

​“who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

‭‭Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/tit.2.14.NASB1995

Several years back our young adult teacher challenged us to study passion and desire. So I did in preparation for our next young adult study. What I saw was that both were negatively talked about throughout the Word of God but zeal was a positive alternative. Titus 2:14 is encouraging us to be zealous for good deeds. Another zeal was demonstrated by Jesus in John 2.

“And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.2.17.NASB1995

John and the disciples remembered Psalm 69:9

“For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭69‬:‭9‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.69.9.NASB1995

So another zeal is for the House of God!

Lastly, we see Jesus picking a zealous man to be His disciple.

“Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.10.4.NASB1995

Simon the Zealot would have belonged to the Zealot faction of the Israelites who believed Rome was a foreign occupier of Israel and anyone who sided or helped was a traitor to Israel. Matthew would have been included in that group as he was a tax collector. And Jesus would have rocked Simon’s core belief when he said, 

“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭41‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.5.41.NASB1995

For anyone in the Roman army could stop and force anyone to carry their gear for one mile but ow Jesus is teaching that they were to offer to carry it two miles.

This brings us back to Titus 2:14 “zealous for good deeds.” 

As Christians, we are to be zealous for good works. Meaning that we are to serve and love one another. The world has a mentality that to serve is to set yourself back from attaining your goals and ambitions. They are right but for the wrong reason. We are to lay aside our own ambitions to desire the zeal of God for the well-being of others.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/php.2.4.NASB1995

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭45‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/mrk.10.45.NASB1995

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.15.13.NASB1995

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.13.34-35.NASB1995

So are we willing today to lay aside our ambitions to serve and love those who are around us today and every day?