Christ in the Clouds: Strive to be an "Eager Beaver"

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Strive to be an "Eager Beaver"

(I'm not sure why, but this post has been in my drafts for over a week! I have really struggled either to be motivated to write or just don't have the time/energy to get it completed. So, please bear with me. I am very late getting it published, but I felt I really needed to post it before the end of the week. I'm not sure if someone is supposed to read it this week, or what, but I wanted to post it in obedience to what I sense the Lord is wanting me to do. God bless you all!)

I remember as a child, hearing people use the phrase
"eager beaver",
to describe someone who was enthusiastic and willing to jump right in with whatever they were doing!

"Referring, of course, to the industrious beaver, this near-rhyming expression is a Canadian Army phrase that was penned around 1940. People observed beavers working and, well, beavering away at their work - they seemed to always be doing work of some sort of other which was admirable."

(From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997). Page 224.)

Now, I'm not a big fan of beavers. To me, they look like big rodents! But, from what I know about them, they are quite industrious and hard-working.

source

Metaphorically, an eager beaver is a person who possesses an unusual amount of energy and enthusiasm for working hard and completing far more than might generally be required of him or her. A willingness, zeal or longing to accomplish a task or fulfil an ambition.

Believers should be eager to follow and serve their Lord in many ways! Here are just a few, followed by verses that share this:

Eager to do good works Tit 2:14 See also 2Co 8:7,22; Tit 3:1,8,14; 1Pe 3:13, 1 Cor. 2:10
Eager to serve Ro 12:11; 1Pe 5:2 See also Ps 110:3; Ro 12:8; 1Co 14:12; Eph 4:3; Tit 3:8, Gal 2:10
Eager to share the truth Ro 1:15; 2Pe 1:15 See also Acts 18:25; Ac 21:13; Ro 15:20; Php 1:20; Jude 3
Eager to receive or understand the truth Mk 12:37; Ac 10:33 See also Mk 10:17 pp Mt 19:16 pp Lk 18:18; Lk 2:15; Lk 21:38; Jn 4:40; Ac 13:42; Ac 17:11; 1Ti 4:15
Eager to give 2Co 8:7 See also Ex 35:21-22; 1Ch 29:9; 2Co 8:11,19; Gal 2:10; 1Ti 6:18
Eager to pray Col 4:2 See also Ro 15:30; Php 1:3-4; Col 4:12
Eager for God’s honour Nu 25:11 See also 1Ki 19:14; 2Ki 10:16; Jn 2:17
Eager to see Jesus Christ’s return and the end of the world 1Co 1:7 See also Mt 24:44 pp Lk 12:40; Ro 8:19
Creation shares the same eager expectation; Ro 8:23; Gal 5:5; Php 3:20
source

Those eager to receive the message of salvation are thought to have noble character:

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11

A wise person is eager, yet patient:

"But if we hope for what we do not yet observe, we eagerly wait for it with patience." Romans 8:25 ISV

We also need to be careful about what we are eager for. There are wrong kinds of eagerness:

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10
“A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 28:20 (NIV)

We also have to be aware that our spiritual eagerness can be superficial and unreal

"Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you." Gal. 4:17-18
"Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;" 1 Peter 5:2

There is also another saying (this one was actually one that I've never heard before):

"An Eager Beaver Could Be The Collapse Of A Dam"

Galatians 4:17-18

Verse Concepts

They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them. But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/eagerness#sthash.L7o9qBt6.dpuf

But, I think it can apply to how we live out our "eagerness". Here are some verses that might apply to this saying:

"Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools." Ecc. 7:9 NASB
"A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him." Prov. 28:22 NIV

Galatians 4:17-18

Verse Concepts

Are you like the "eager beaver", ready to jump into serving the Lord, or do you struggle to "get things done" with enthusiasm and a willing heart? I know, for me, there are times I am more of an "apathetic aardvark". May we seek to show true eagerness for Him in our lives!!

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I'm continuing to give thanks, listing the many gifts from the Lord! Linking over at "Multitude on Mondays".
1,630- Great ladies Bible study lesson, followed by some girl time with my friend!!

1,631 - A quiet week at work.
1,632 - Spending an afternoon with my mom!

me and my mom

1,633 - Getting to sing some great worship songs in our church service!
1,634 - The beginning of the week was difficult, but God got us through it.

My great-niece was hospitalized with RSV.
Lots of illness /injuries at work.

By today, things were MUCH better...

niece feeling better, released from hospital
most of the staff feeling better
2 ladies that came into our church for help got saved!!!

1,635 - Watching a crazy driver speeding across the frozen lake and doing donuts.(Yes, this has become our entertainment during these dreary winter months!)

1,636 - Getting stuck in the snow and my hubby taking off work to come push me out! (The blessing wasn't as much, getting stuck as was seeing my hubby!) Such an awesome guy!
1,637 - Safe travels to and from work!
1,638 - After several days of yucky weather, we had sunshine and temps above freezing today!!! Thank You, Lord!!

"I'm eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other." Romans 1:12