Lord, what would you have me talk about?

Tell them of my love.

In what sense?

Well, tell them of my passionate love. How I infuse my love in all I do. My love excites, has purpose, and will produce fruit. Is this not zeal? Passionate love that drives actions and bears fruit??

True. Ok. But how will I unpack this? What story could I anchor this truth to?

Ah, you think it will be a story of your own life, but today, it will be an allegory.

Walk with me a little ways, down the paths of imagination, through the forest of dreams, into the fields of submission. Walk closely and pay attention because I will show you treasures that are hidden among the flowers.

There was once a man who loved the ocean. All he had ever known was the ocean’s waves lapping the shore. You see, he was born and raised on the shores, with the smells of fish and sea spray ever in his nose. He could not fathom a life away from the shores of the ocean.

And every day, as he mended his nets and cooked the fish he caught, he would look out over the expanse of the ocean before him and wonder that the waves, wild as they were, would never cross the boundary of sand. And if a storm stirred them up to rebellion, their crossing would not last. They would rush ashore for a time. Then, unable to live in rebellion, they would retreat back to their designated space, at peace once again in their borders. What a marvel, he thought, for such a power to be completely tamed.

And as this thought fluttered through his mind, his eyes strayed up and snagged on a gull in the sky. Riding the currents of wind, the bird was free. How the man’s heart twisted, for a moment, in an agony he could not quite understand. He longed for freedom, but still, he loved his hut by the sea. He glanced back in comfort at the small dwelling that he lived in, just a few steps from the slightly larger hut he was born in. Then his eyes swung back up to the gull, surfing the current like waves, and his heart stuttered in longing. Oh, to be free! Really free. To be able to fly and soar and see beyond the limits of his understanding and yet return again.

He shook his head and turned back to the task before him—holey nets. As he looped new twine alongside the old, expertly closing the gaps of old holes, his mind wandered down the path and to the docks. Small and large boats bobbed in the happy tide that rhythmically flowed in and out, playfully splashing and sparkling.

The boards creaked as bare feet tread down the planks to a boat at the end of the marina. It bobbed up and down in anticipation, humming with the excitement of adventure. And as the steps creaked nearer, the spirit of exploration whipped sun-bleached hair with the excitement of what could be around corners and over horizons. Energy and purpose hummed through the veins that pumped blood from heart to mind to limbs, fueling the momentum of exploration. Hungry eyes scanned the line where turquoise kissed lapis lazuli and a smile slowly spread over tanned cheekbones.

Was there any greater exhilaration to experience apart from the pleasure of exploration? Adventure and discovery mingled together in the trust of the One who would guard each mile traversed. Deft hands untied knots and pulled rope, and faded red sails unfurled and danced in the warm, humid wind. Nets long forgotten; the man had traded comfort for adventure.

The last knot untied, and the small skiff was pulled out onto the ultramarine waves, propelled by the joyful anticipation of discovery and the winds of expectation. Today, he would not follow his normal fishing route. Today, he would sail with the same liberty in which the gulls overhead flew- with freedom.

Little did he know that in the cobalt blue currents of the open ocean, he would discover the greatest treasure to be found. Deep would call to deep. And in the darkness of glittery midnight, surrender and freedom would be found. His life would be forever changed the moment his heart was arrested in love. You see, Love hovered over the choppy waters of the deep, waiting patiently for the restless soul in search of more.

The sun crossed the sky, and dusk came and went. Twilight descended as the boat bobbed and the waves lapped. The man’s soul found rest at last. He lay there at the bottom of the boat, eyes gulping in the array of the starry host above, and his heart was changed within him. Longing had turned to adoration and love, then solidified into passion.

You see, it was in the middle of the swells and rocking that love met longing. Hope swooped in on the wings of love. The man, who had heard of God, had never cared to delve too deep into that faraway, abstract idea. But, on the winds of adventure, the One he had skirted could no longer be ignored. The barrier between heaven and earth thinned under that brilliant display of stars and galaxies, meeting in one beautiful moment of experience and surrender.

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Love, it seems, is more than a feeling, deeper than connection. Love is the very face of God, imprinted on the very fabric of reality. If you’re not paying attention, you will miss it. If you never step out on the footpath of discovery, you will never find it. But for those who dare to sail into the unknown, an ocean of love awaits.

Here is the thing about love and the God from whom this attribute originates: it is the precursor to passion, purpose, and action. Love is the mother of Zeal.

Do you know why it was foretold of Jesus that, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:17)? It is not because Jesus was a stickler for rules, (though he has ordained reality to operate and flourish within the bounds of statutes and rules). The zeal for the Father that consumed Jesus originated in the perfect, unbroken love that flowed between the persons of the trinity (Mark 1:11, 9:7). This is going to sound weird because we are not three persons in one and the trinity is such a difficult, abstract concept to fully understand, but Jesus LOVES the Father. Yes, they are one, and yet, there is a distinctness between these persons that is very real (though we cannot fully understand it).

Jesus’ zeal, his purposeful, passionate actions of love that bore much fruit originated from love. Chief love. Preeminent love. The question is, what about you? What is your zeal rooted in? A deep and expanding love for the Lord? Or perhaps you find that you lack zeal? Why is that? Have you never taken the first step down the path of Destiny (for the ultimate destiny is found in God’s love)?

Let me encourage you, dear reader, to open your eyes to the call of love that is imprinted into the fabric of life. Every moment contains the call to discover true freedom, joy, life, peace, and flourishing. Open your eyes to see, pause to feel, quiet your heart and environment to listen. He is calling you. His love is on the wind.

“Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

We cannot will godly zeal or muster it into existence by our own power. That is not godly zeal but human zeal. No, Godly zeal must be born out of love. My dear friends, let me encourage you to walk down the path of love. Do not resist; do not turn back. Love will meet you on the path. His name is Jesus. His character has already been proven through his own zealous acts of love. And now he waits for you in the deep. Journey to him and discover the treasure of true love. You will find that once you have tasted the depths of his affections, your heart will ignite in zeal. The good, godly zeal that bears fruit and weathers the test of time.

His love never fails.

And it will not fail in you.

Discover Love and Flourish with Godly Zeal

Flourishing in the Storms of Life

Abide and Flourish