In an environment where strife prevails, an angry man thrives. The Bibles points out that this type of person looks for ways to stir up strife. Perhaps he asks questions to get opinions involving others to gauge any dissatisfaction with them. He then turns any small frustration into a larger problem. Perhaps he uses other methods, but the end goal remains the same; he wants to stir up strife. He does this not only in the lives of others, but in his own heart as well. Instead of focusing upon reasons to rejoice in the Lord, he looks for reasons to be frustrated. All the while, he is walking in the flesh and missing out on the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).
A zealous person is contagious, both positively and negatively. The apostle Paul cautioned that the early believers had been zealously affected, but not in a good way. Those who opposed the gospel were adamant, yet they unwisely waged war against the truth. Night and day, they zealously fought in order to hinder the ministry of the believers. Ultimately, their zeal affected the people of God. These believers who started strong were hindered by the enemies' efforts to the point that it affected their race for the Lord (Galatians 5:7). Modern day enemies of the gospel are aware of this potential pitfall for the believers. They often display more zeal than those who knowingly possess the truth. Yet, today's passage also teaches that “it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.” Zeal breeds zeal. Zeal in righteousness will yield righteous results.
