in diligence, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Truth to Learn
A Christian’s life should be characterized by diligent service.
Behind the Words
“Slothful” is from oknēros, from the verb okneō, meaning “to be slow, to be lazy, or to delay.”
The word translated “diligence” is spoudē, which literally means “speed,” but by implication it refers to eagerness, earnestness, diligence, or zeal.
The word “fervent” is translated from the Greek word dzeontes, which literally means “to be hot.” However, it means more than just being overly warm. In reference to liquids, this word means “to boil” and with reference to metal objects it means “to glow.”
The word translated “serving” is douleuontes, which comes from the noun “doulos” meaning “a slave who has been purchased by, and therefore completely subservient to the will of, his or her master.”
Meaning Explained
Paul continues his admonition of how we ought to behave in this Christian life. In this verse there are three declarations. Literally he says, “in speed not slow, in the spirit being fervent, in the Lord being a slave.” In the first of these, Paul is telling us that whatever we choose to do, it should be done earnestly, not lazily. In other words, whatever you apply yourself to, you should do it the best you can. It should be done diligently and faithfully, as if Christ were there observing you.
In the second part of this verse, Paul tells us that we should be fervent in spirit. Whereas the first part of this verse deals with the physical part of our being, this expression refers to the spiritual part of our being. In other words, Paul is telling us that our spiritual life and effort should be fervent. That is, we should be “on fire” for the Lord.
In his evaluation of the church of Laodicea, in the 3rd chapter of the book of the Revelation, our Lord says this:
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)
Clearly He was not pleased with the church that was merely lukewarm, and I believe that is a warning to all Christians today. We should not simply be going through the motions in our Christian walk. God wants hot, on-fire followers, not average, lukewarm followers.
The third part of this verse is actually a continuance of the second part. Not only are we to be hot in our spiritual life, it is to be manifested in our service to the Lord. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ and are no longer free. We are the purchased slaves of God. Therefore, we should be serving Him, not ourselves.
Application
Let me ask you a real soul-searching question. Who are you really living your life for? Are you your own master, or are you completely submitted to the one who bought you with the precious blood of Christ?
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved