Romans 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
The law of life seems to be that energy slowly diminishes over time. We cannot work at the same pace forever. This is true in our spiritual lives and our work as the church. The tendency is that enthusiasm and zeal begin to die away over time. If we recognize that, we will be better prepared. How can we keep “fervent in spirit”? God has given us a rhythm to life called “sabbath.” Sabbath helps us renew our energy, focus, and purpose. Sabbath is a time (or specific day) for worship. Worship will keep us connected to serving the Lord. When we grow lazy with our sabbath and worship, our service to the Lord will become lazy and half-hearted. There are also seasons of sabbath, such as the “year of jubilee,” when we need rest from our jobs, responsibilities, and busyness, in order to refocus our purposes. Such sabbath periods do not mean we no longer serve the Lord, but our service may be in a different way. The only way we can serve the Lord fervently is to stay connected through worship. The type of worship Paul has in mind is mentioned in v. 1 is to be a living sacrifice, fully committed, entirely sanctified, in complete dedication to God through Jesus Christ.
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