Passion. That's the catch-word these days. Find your passion in life and pursue it, because that's where your greatest contentment and fulfillment will be found. Not that this is a bad idea, but how do we stir up passion for what we ought to pursue? How do we develop fervent passion for our Creator Father and His Son, and the priorities of the kingdom of God? We know that we NEED to have passion in this area, but it's not automatic.
King David was a man of passion. There are some glaring instances of misguided passion (which is the risk passionate people face), but he was consistently "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). Time and again, that divine passion is evidenced in the Psalms. For example:
"Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them." (Psalm 111:1-2)
Wholehearted thanks and delight in studying the words and works of God are hallmarks of a spiritually passionate person. And yet the question remains: how do I cultivate spiritual passion if it is lacking? The answers are basic, but the discipline involved is the real challenge.
Like David, we do well to journal concerning our findings in scripture and daily living. Compose love letters to our Creator Father. Record our innermost feelings and thoughts about Yahweh God.
Let the Lord Jesus serve as guide. He ultimately is revealed to us in scripture (John 5:39), and it is He who has come to reveal the Father to us (John 14:7).
Connect authentically with at least one other person who also desires spiritual passion. "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 29:17)
Make spiritual passion a matter of prayer. My prayer this day is, "Father, stir up a burning desire to know You through Your Son. Ignite a fire of passion for You. Let my desire burn to know You through Your word, Your people, and through service. May a white-hot passion for You so permeate my life that it kindles a fire in others."
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
King David was a man of passion. There are some glaring instances of misguided passion (which is the risk passionate people face), but he was consistently "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). Time and again, that divine passion is evidenced in the Psalms. For example:
"Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them." (Psalm 111:1-2)
Wholehearted thanks and delight in studying the words and works of God are hallmarks of a spiritually passionate person. And yet the question remains: how do I cultivate spiritual passion if it is lacking? The answers are basic, but the discipline involved is the real challenge.
Like David, we do well to journal concerning our findings in scripture and daily living. Compose love letters to our Creator Father. Record our innermost feelings and thoughts about Yahweh God.
Let the Lord Jesus serve as guide. He ultimately is revealed to us in scripture (John 5:39), and it is He who has come to reveal the Father to us (John 14:7).
Connect authentically with at least one other person who also desires spiritual passion. "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 29:17)
Make spiritual passion a matter of prayer. My prayer this day is, "Father, stir up a burning desire to know You through Your Son. Ignite a fire of passion for You. Let my desire burn to know You through Your word, Your people, and through service. May a white-hot passion for You so permeate my life that it kindles a fire in others."
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
posted by steve @ 9:27 AM
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