Day 85 with David: Our greatest zeal should be for the work of the Kingdom.

“I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s children; Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭69:8-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I’ve always been intrigued by the things for which people develop great zeal. We’ve all seen the avid sports fans who will sit bare-chested in freezing weather, painted with the colors of their team, routing on their side as if their very lives depended on it! I know of college football team rivalries where the opposing team enthusiasts literally hate each other and are willing to fight over their allegiance.

Some people are zealous over their hobbies, spending every free moment—and a lot of money—to that end.

Some people have “wonder lust.” They are always traveling, even spending their time at home thinking about and planning their next trip.

I know this next statement is going to sound judgmental; but it really is not meant that way. Rather, it is expressing how I personally feel. I think a lot—if not most—of our zeal is misplaced. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have interests, enjoyment, entertainment, etc.; there’s a place for that kind of thing. But to have the level of passion some people have for things that really are meaningless (in terms of the Kingdom of God), seems like a distortion.

I believe that if we love the Lord the way we should, we will have nothing in our lives over which we are more zealous than His Kingdom and His righteousness.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

‭‭Titus‬ ‭2:11-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Considering what the Lord has done for us, how can we be nonchalant about His house and His work? How can we not be zealous concerning His return?

In our portion from Psalms today we see David expressing his zeal for the house of the Lord and how that zeal had alienated him from others. Now, he’s not so much referencing zeal for a building per se, but what the building represents: the presence of God, the rule of God, the work of His Kingdom. Interestingly, as in many other statements of David, this proved to be a prophetic statement, expressing the zeal Jesus would show for His Father’s house:

“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.””

‭‭John‬ ‭2:13-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

No, it’s not wrong to have passion over different things in our lives; but there is something off when our zeal for other things outweighs our zeal for the concerns of our Lord.

For today let us know and understand what David knew:

Our greatest zeal should be for the work of the Kingdom.

#100dayswithdavid