His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”- John 2:17
As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 8 of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, he states that there is a very powerful scene in Rocky III where Rocky has achieved boxing fame but in the process lost his fighting fire. His manager Mickey remarks: “The worst thing happened that could happen to any fighter- you got civilized.”
Pastor Batterson wonders if Jesus would say that about us. When the author reads the Gospels, the only civilized people he notices are the Pharisees. Pastor Batterson then quotes Dorothy Sayers (1983-1957), a contemporary of C. S. Lewis. In her book Letters to a Diminished Church, Dorothy emphasizes the need to understand the totality of Jesus and not to underestimate or under appreciate His dynamic persona:
“The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore- on the contrary; they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild’. . . ”
Pastor Batterson has a core conviction that Christians should be the most passionate people on earth. In fact, the word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words meaning “in God”. Lion chasers have a life wish and are willing to look foolish to live life to the fullest.
Today’s question: During your desert, transition time, what has reignited your fire for ministry or vocation? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the Annotated Bibliography of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
