“This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 NKJV.
Enthusiasm is an attitude you choose before becoming an emotion you feel.
My thoughts and comments today are about “inspired enthusiasm.” Life is to be enjoyed; enjoy every moment. You are meant to live everyday to its fullest extent. I am not describing some exhausting pace to have it all and do it all or some merely emotional excitement. Life is sacred and meant to be savored, holding eternal value. When you realize that as true, you discover the source of enthusiasm and achievement. Enthusiasm is an attitude you choose before becoming an emotion you feel. It is interesting that our English word, “enthusiasm,” originates from the Latin word, “entheos, inspired by God.” When you are inspired, you inspire others. What you do with your life daily holds more eternal importance than you may realize.
Life should be a full expression and fulfilling discovery of the abilities God has given you to serve Him and bless others. That warrants enthusiasm. The Psalmist discovered the source of enthusiasm, “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24. This day is filled with the presence and purposes of God. Your response is to embrace its opportunities and enjoy His service. The Apostle Paul was direct and to the point, “Serve the Lord enthusiastically.” Romans 12:11 NLT.
It is natural to be excited about your own good fortune, successes, and pleasant experiences, but life is more than that. Enthusiasm can appear to be no more than an abbreviated expression of emotion and excitement. Or enthusiasm can motivate and energize your best effort and attitude. Such an approach to life is not your response to life as you view it at the moment, but a preemptive attitude about life as it could and should be.
Life allows you to be either a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer simply reflects the surrounding temperature, or others’ temperaments in this case. In contrast, a thermostat influences the temperature of situations and the temperaments of yourself and others for the better. Throughout every day that choice is made either deliberately or by default. Imagine the positive impact of enthusiasm. An authentically enthusiastic person could be described as: excited, eager, positive, passionate, zealous, animated, zestful, wholehearted, positive, or expectant. I think those words describe Jesus. I hope that would be the way others describe you.
The key to inspired enthusiasm is plain and simple. Ask yourself, “Does everything I do express my intent to ‘serve the Lord enthusiastically?’” When you understand that even the simplest, smallest thing you do for anyone is serving the Lord, you will do it with the enthusiasm that deserves. “Serve wholeheartedly, [work enthusiastically/NLT] as if you are serving the Lord, not men, because you know the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.” Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV.
Today, I pray that your passion for serving God and blessing others will abound.
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