18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.
Just because someone is excited by some cause does not mean the cause is something to get excited about! I have a personality that can jump from idea to idea very rapidly. But over the years I have learned that I must not jump on every new project that I invent in my head. I must take time and evaluate the project in light of eternity. Is this really what God wants me to be involved in? So often the answer in a resounding “NO!” That is because energy behind an idea does not mean the idea is a good idea, that the overall purpose is a godly one. Just because someone is able to get excited about some idea does not mean you need to respond. Think about the infomercials. The hosts are very excited about the products. Why? So that you will impulsively pick up the phone and order the product before you have a chance to think about that decision. Everything that is said and seen is designed to get you to jump at their urging. The same is true about our spiritual journey. I want people to make decisions not based on an emotional uplift alone, because once the uplift disappears, which it inevitably will, they crash to the ground and discount their experience. I am not saying that we need to become emotionless robots in our decisions for Jesus. Instead, I am saying that our emotional responses must be joined with our intellect and power to choose. All three parts of us must be jointly involved in our decisions. There are ‘preachers’ on TV that know how to stir the emotions in order to get you to send in money. I want to encourage you to resist. In most states when you purchase something you can, if you want to, back out of the purchase within a certain number of days. I would encourage you to use the same judicious process in your decisions with God. God’s leading will not change overnight. If it is truly God speaking, then that decision can be made deliberately without an urgency to act immediately. That way, the decisions you make are ones that you can live with, and be joyful about before God. God has made us thoughtful creatures. Let us use our thoughtfulness to draw closer and become more obedient to His will.
The Arnold Journey 