"Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" (Rom 12:11) New Christians are often very zealous about serving the Lord. They are first to come to church on Sundays. They don't miss the mid-week fellowship either. They make out time to read their Bible and their voices can often be heard in the neighbourhood praying at night. They even sometimes are quick to suggest to the Pastor to fix a prayer summit. However, over time that zeal wanes down. I have witnessed this happen over and over, and most times I can't place my finger on what causes the problem. Is it that the Christian suddenly discovers that those things he or she were doing were a waste of time? Or is this similar to what Jesus said in the parable of the sower..
Jesus said: "[they] are like the seeds that fall on rocky grounds. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long... " (Mark 4:16-17, GNB)
What a shock! In order to understand how to prevent this, we must realize that zeal is a commitment to our convictions - requiring that we know beyond reasonable doubt what those convictions are, as well as identify those things that might lead us to compromise. In a world where the temptations for spiritual compromise abound, we must remain focused to our commitments to God. It is never going to be easy, but that is how to keep the zeal alive!