Passion In the Right Direction

passionOur culture is not lacking passion these days, but passion is often misplaced.  We are passionate about our sports teams, our families, our jobs, and even about our hobbies.  We are passionate about politics and current events.  Yet, when it comes to things of God, we replace passion with either a robotic ritualism or general apathy.

How can we direct our passion toward God and living for him? Consider as a role model a King we read about in the Old Testament.  Here’s how the Bible summarizes his life, his epitaph, so to speak.

[he did] “what was what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.” – 2 Chronicles 31:20

His name was Hezekiah, and he excelled above the other kings of Judah. If you study his life, you find a man with a passion for God. Why did the Bible say that he did what was good, right, and faithful? How could he accomplish this on a daily basis?

Our culture is not lacking passion these days, but passion is often misplaced.

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Passion Properly Directed

“In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.” – 2 Chronicles 31:21

I believe Hezekiah demonstrates four truths that will help us focus passion in the right direction.

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Thoughts Upon Turning 50

So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

I want to share with you a few thoughts that captured my heart as I considered my 18,262 days (that’s 50 years plus 12 leap days) on my birthday.

The prominent theme that I have come to grasp over these last 6 weeks or so is that life is not about me, it’s about God and His plan for His creation. If all we ever do is consider our circumstances in light of their bearing on us, we really miss the grandeur of God’s glory as He includes us in His purposes for now and eternity.

A second truth I pondered today is that life is all about the journey… the walk. Enoch lives 365 days. I think that is significant since it is one year for each day of our year. To me, that signifies that he lived a FULL life, and the Bible says about Him that he had a testimony that He walked with God. I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs in my 18,262 days, but God has walked with me every step of the way, often carrying me. I grow closer to Him because the journey has so many challenging turns. When I started this blog in the summer of last year, I was inspired by Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “The Long Way Home” (video below). That’s what this life is, a journey on the way to eternity.

A final truth I have pondered today is that God is not finished with me yet. They call us 50-somethings “middle aged.” I guess that means I have somewhere around another 18,000 days to go? Whatever. I do know that I have more passion for ministry now than ever. I sense the urgency of our time and I have a longing in my soul to make a difference for Jesus in the days that I have left.

No matter your age, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus and become His follower, life isn’t about you. Let me encourage you to begin to view your days as opportunities for God to include and involve you in HIS plan for HIS creation. Count your days so that your days will count…for HIS GLORY.

My Clock Is Ticking

The sudden and tragic death of a church member has laid a question heavy on my heart: “Am I a good steward of my life?”

My clock is ticking.  There are 86,400 seconds in every day. How do I use them? Do I spend them or invest them?  Do I major on the things that really matter, or squander away those seconds on things that will not matter in time?  Those 86,400 are counting down.  I am not guaranteed a fresh clock tomorrow, so have I fully invested today’s allotment?

What if we get to the end of it all and found that we accomplished some tremendous things, we collected some nice toys, but we built this beautiful life with the wrong materials and it was all for naught? What if we succeed at pleasing ourselves or others only to find at the end of our lives that God is not pleased with us?

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10

Take care how you use your 86, 400. Live with passion, intentionality, and purpose. Focus on what REALLY matters.  Each day is a gift from God to you; how you use that day is your gift to God.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. – Philippians 1:9-11

3 Non-Black-Eyed P’s to Start 2014

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…  Ecclesiastes 9:10a

As 2014 begins, you may have already made some New Year’s resolutions.  You may even have already broken some New Year’s resolutions. In the scripture above, I find three challenges for the coming year.

Be proactive.  The verse suggests that our “hands” can find something to do.  Too many times we sit back and wait for things to get better, or wait for opportunities to present themselves.  Choose a course of action and will to follow it.  Do not be distracted or derailed by unfavorable circumstances.  In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said we are to ask, but then we are to seek and knock.  Quit waiting for God or for others to do what is yours to do.

Be purposeful.  The verse encourages us that when our hand finds something to do, simply to DO IT. Life is best lived intentionally.  Thomas Edison famously said, “Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.”  We can often “overcook” opportunities by not seizing them when they arise.  In 2014 – less talking…more doing.  Like the Nike slogan says, “just DO it.”

Finally, be passionate.  The verse above says that we should do these things with “all of our might.” Life too easily slips into a comfortable routine. “Routine” is “rut” with four extra letters.  We go through the motions most days of our lives lacking passion and zeal.  Andrew Carnegie said, “The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work.”  Romans 12:11 challenges us: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”   May God give us a strong aversion to the mundane, mediocre, and milquetoast. 

Three questions for reflection, answer them with specifics:

  1. What needs to change in my life?
  2. How do they need to change?
  3. What am I going to do foster those changes?