How to Maintain Zeal
1 The ardor with which Apollos carried out his ministry may remind us of fellow Christians today who are especially zealous in the preaching work. (Acts 18:24-28) All of us, though, are admonished: “Do not loiter at your business. Be aglow with the spirit.” (Rom. 12:11) What can help us to acquire and maintain zeal for the Christian ministry?
2 Fueled by Knowledge: After Jesus appeared to two of his disciples and “interpreted to them things pertaining to himself in all the Scriptures,” they remarked: “Were not our hearts burning as he was speaking to us on the road?” (Luke 24:27, 32) Likewise, do not our hearts burn with excitement when we gain an increased understanding of God’s Word? Yes, faith is fueled by knowledge. Romans 10:17 explains: “Faith follows the thing heard.” When our hearts are filled with confidence in Jehovah’s promises, we simply cannot stop speaking about the things we have learned!—Ps. 145:7; Acts 4:20.
3 We cannot rely solely on the knowledge that we have gained through previous study to keep our love for God strong and our zeal for his service burning brightly. We must continue to broaden our understanding of the truth and deepen our love for Jehovah. Otherwise, our service to him could gradually become perfunctory. (Rev. 2:4) God’s Word urges us to “go on . . . increasing in the accurate knowledge of God.”—Col. 1:9, 10.
4 Our Study Habits: We do well, therefore, to examine our study habits. For example, we may be able to mark the answers in a Watchtower study article and to offer correct comments. But do we look up the cited scriptures and reflect on how the material applies in our life? With the weekly Bible reading, do we make an effort to do additional research if our circumstances permit and to meditate on the lessons contained therein? (Ps. 77:11, 12; Prov. 2:1-5) How beneficial it is to ponder over and be absorbed in God’s Word! (1 Tim. 4:15, 16) Such meaningful study will nourish our hearts and energize us to be “zealous for fine works.”—Titus 2:14.