Fervent Love

When you hear the word “fervent” what do you think of?

I don’t hear the word very often in every-day language.

Fervent. exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling: ZEALOUS

Zealous. filled with or characterized by zeal.

Zeal. eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something: FERVOR

Fervor. intensity of feeling or expression (Merriam-Webster)

synonyms:

impassioned * passionate * intense * ardent * sincere * feeling * profound * deep-seated * heartfelt * deeply-felt * emotional * spirited * enthusiastic * zealous * fanatical * wholehearted * avid * eager * earnest * keen * committed * dedicated * devout

Fervent.

“But the end of all things is at hand; th

erefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:7-9 NKJV

What if we exchanged the word fervent in that passage for one of the synonyms?

And above all things have intense love for one another.

Or,

And above all things have profound love for one another.

Or,

And above all things have committed love for one another.

The word fervent is a strong action word!

Other synonyms include blazing, burning, charged, emotional and demonstrative.

Romans 12:10-13 tells us to “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.”

There are many action words in those three verses.

Affectionate.

Giving preference.

Fervent.

Patient.

Prayer.

Distributing to the needs of others.

Showing hospitality.

What if we took every word to heart? What kind of change would we see in others? What kind of change would we see in ourselves? What difference would we make in the world?

I found an article online titled “51 Ways to Make a Difference in the World”. (heartfulnessmagazine.com)

Here are just five of those ways:

1 - Giving. Mother Teresa once said, “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

2- Doing. “Stop doing what is easy or popular. Start doing what is right.” ― Roy T. Bennett

3- Sharing. “Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” ― Brian Tracy

4 - Committing. “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.” – Abraham Lincoln

5 - Loving. “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” ― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:8-9

We must be the change we wish in the world, in our nation, in our state, our county, our city, our neighborhood, our home.

Be fervent with your love today.