As a sports fan and a “Christmas guy,” this is the best time of year! With so many incredible football games and fun festive activities, it’s fair to say I have a lot of enthusiasm (especially right before kickoff and when a fresh batch of Christmas cookies comes out of the oven). Over the weekend, I saw my Panthers take down the Seahawks while the Bucs lost to the 49ers, keeping the Panthers alive for the Playoffs and getting me very excited. We also witnessed the Detroit Lions win again, which is always fun, and then the Bills, Cowboys, and Ravens all pulled out close wins in the end. Although we have many reasons to have enthusiasm as sports fans during the Christmas season, keeping our enthusiasm about life can be challenging when facing endless struggles, difficulties, and losses. However, enthusiasm doesn’t just have to come and go based on how well our team is playing or only when we're experiencing positive circumstances. The origin of the word "enthusiasm" actually means something much deeper than excitement about Christmas festivities and a football game. Writer Bruce Van Horn says, “The word ‘enthusiasm’ comes from two Greek words: ‘en,’ meaning ’within,’ and ‘theos,’ meaning ‘God.’ So the word ‘enthusiasm’ literally means ‘God within!’ It was used to describe people who possessed god-like abilities or very strong, God-inspired, wisdom and convictions.” In Bill Bright’s book, The Holy Spirit: The Key to Supernatural Living, he writes this about the word enthusiasm: “It comes from two greek terms – en and theos. It means to be in God. If I know that Christ is in me and I am in Him, if I rightly understand my Christian heritage, my rights as a child of God, my identification with Christ and the role of the Holy Spirit in my life, I can – as an act of the will – say I am going to be the kind of person God has called me to be; I am going to be enthusiastic. I am going to be joyful – not as a result of positive thinking but of supernatural thinking.” By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can think supernaturally because God is in us and we’re in Him. That’s how and why we can be enthusiastic, even when life is hard. Romans 8:5 (NLT) reminds us that “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” When we think about things that please the Spirit, enthusiasm about life and serving God will be a result. So, if we wake up tomorrow and allow the power of the Holy Spirit to give us enthusiasm throughout our day, how would it be different at home and work? Romans 12:11 (NLT) tells us to “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” Ephesians 6:7 (NLT) implores us to, “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” What if we exuded enthusiasm by jumping right into a project assigned by our boss instead of procrastinating? What if we showed enthusiasm when taking care of the kids and doing household chores instead of complaining? What if we chose to have enthusiasm about following Jesus, sharing the Gospel, persevering, and the eternal life that is promised to us…even when everything around us is negative, difficult, and challenging? Jesus has redeemed and saved us because of His work on the cross, and now lives in us. By surrendering to Him and thinking supernaturally by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live and work with enthusiasm. As a result, others will love being around us and see God shining through! I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to be with You and for giving me the Holy Spirit. I desire to think differently and approach life with enthusiasm. Because of You and through Your power I know it’s possible, so please help me surrender daily. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
1. What comes to mind when you think about the word enthusiasm? How does knowing the origin change your perspective?
2. How would your life be different if you approached it with enthusiasm?
Comments