Last Monday, we had the 33rd Annual Tom Landry Open. What a day! We had right at 284 golfers out at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, TX. It was awesome! I was stationed at one of the holes on the Country Club Course with Long Drive Champion Nyle Pruitt aka The Nyleator! He can crush the ball…over 400+ yds per drive. He spent the day trying to catch up to my drive that I put out there…okay, that is a stretch…no, really I am just dreaming. The course was in great shape. One of the things I noticed was the Azaleas. I used to live in South Louisiana and had them in my flower bed. Can’t grow them up here without a lot of work and $$$...
This weekend, I was slated to do some flowerbed work. My whole list was given to me by my wife, Shannon. She told me to dig up the Purple Sage bushes…she said she didn’t like them. So, off to get the shovel and put in some sweat equity to get rid of them. After digging a while on the first one and knowing I still had 3 left, I decided to go and get a rope and my trusty F-150 pickup. I was already tired and decided to just pull them out of the ground. That was a decision that I will never regret!
One of the rules of our gardening at the house is...when you take something out, put something else in that requires little to no attention and will come back each year. Shannon told me to make it pretty...So, I planted roses. I told her I planted 3 rose bushes...one for her, Madison and Katie. She was flattered and I got some much needed brownie points.
Here is where it got interesting. I was digging in the bed to plant the roses when my shovel hit something that sounded like a rock or metal. So, I did what every good shovel operator does and dug down again to see if I would hit it a second time and I did. Come to find out, it was a huge piece of concrete that was down deep in the soil. All I could do was think, I added the majority of this soil a few years ago. How did this get here?
That is when God dropped this little nugget in my thoughts. I began to think, even though the flowers are blooming and everything looks great on the surface, below the topsoil and mulch, down deep, there are rocks. In order to have the best growing conditions possible, you have to get all the rocks out. I was reminded of the passage of Scripture found in...
Matthew 13:5 (NIV)
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
Prayer: God, help us to get all the rocks out of our lives that are below the surface and unseen. They may be rocks that only you and each of us know about. Help us to dig deep so that we can be the most fertile soil for You and Your Word. Amen.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Weekend Reflections
One thing I have learned this weekend is...I am no longer designed to do the splits! After slipping in my garage, doing the splits, hurting my back and then kicking the hearth of our fireplace and probably breaking my little toe, it has definately been an interesting weekend.
I then began to think back to last weekend and realized I was speaking about the Holy Spirit. I know that there is a spiritual battle taking place in the heavenlies and that the enemy of our soul doesn't want anyone to tap into the Spirit's power. So, I stood up this morning with a heartbeat in my toe and said, "Satan, that's the best you have? I am still standing!"
We were able to take a trip through the Old Testament and see the workings of the Holy Spirit. I found it interesting that the Holy Spirit rested on people for specific purposes in the Old Testament. Now, the Holy Spirit is for all believers.
As I am preaching through this series, I want the Holy Spirit to lead me, protect me, provide me with wisdom and empower me to serve God's purposes more each day.
I then began to think back to last weekend and realized I was speaking about the Holy Spirit. I know that there is a spiritual battle taking place in the heavenlies and that the enemy of our soul doesn't want anyone to tap into the Spirit's power. So, I stood up this morning with a heartbeat in my toe and said, "Satan, that's the best you have? I am still standing!"
We were able to take a trip through the Old Testament and see the workings of the Holy Spirit. I found it interesting that the Holy Spirit rested on people for specific purposes in the Old Testament. Now, the Holy Spirit is for all believers.
As I am preaching through this series, I want the Holy Spirit to lead me, protect me, provide me with wisdom and empower me to serve God's purposes more each day.
Friday, April 16, 2010
TOMS Shoes, Facebook & Christianity
My daughter recently asked if she could have a pair of TOMS shoes. I immediately went to my closet and started to grab her a pair of my shoes. That is when she told me what they were. She told me about this company and how they give one pair of shoes to a person in need with every pair purchased. I then asked her to let me see the shoes. We went to the website and looked at them. I thought...Meh...
She pleaded with me...its for a good cause. Sure they were more than I wanted to pay for THOSE shoes...but the purpose was a good one.
I then saw their advertisement on Facebook and quickly realized how big this project was. There are 175 million people that log in to Facebook everyday. That is incredible! TOMS shoes is now taking their purpose, their cause, their core value that everyone should have at least one pair of shoes to the world of Facebook.
I had to ask...what if the church...what if my church, my denomination...the Assemblies of God...what if I...took up the cause of Christ like TOMS Shoes has taken their cause?
We spend a lot of our lives trying to find happiness. Helen Keller said,
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
I can think of no more worthy of a purpose that the cause of Christ...what will you do?
She pleaded with me...its for a good cause. Sure they were more than I wanted to pay for THOSE shoes...but the purpose was a good one.
I then saw their advertisement on Facebook and quickly realized how big this project was. There are 175 million people that log in to Facebook everyday. That is incredible! TOMS shoes is now taking their purpose, their cause, their core value that everyone should have at least one pair of shoes to the world of Facebook.
I had to ask...what if the church...what if my church, my denomination...the Assemblies of God...what if I...took up the cause of Christ like TOMS Shoes has taken their cause?
We spend a lot of our lives trying to find happiness. Helen Keller said,
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
I can think of no more worthy of a purpose that the cause of Christ...what will you do?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Holy Spirit and "Unisex" Clothing
I know you are probably wondering about the title...pretty catchy huh? I hate to admit this, but after finding that my predominate spiritual gift is the gift of putting my foot in my mouth...not sure on the Scripture reference. Anyway, the whole 'unisex' clothing, cologne, names and pretty much whatever else you can think of, really is not a good thing for people like me.
A few months back, I went back to my hometown to visit. We were out and about and I ran into a friend that I attended High School with. After making the courteous restaurant table visit and catch up that is so much expected in the Deep South, the conversation turned to what we are doing now and how many kids we have. I, being the excellent father that I am, had a picture of my 2 kids(that was BK...before Katie). Then my friend announced that she had just had a child and just so happened to have the baby in the car seat on the floor beside her. This is when business picked up. I could feel it...my spiritual gift welling up inside and about to be exposed to the world.
The proud mother grabbe the handle of the car carrier and showed me her most cherished newborn. Now, to be fair to me, all newborns look alike! All of the them are kind of crinkly, red and slobbery. What sets some apart is that some have more hair than others. I know what you are thinking..."You didn't tell her she had an ugly baby." No, that was a different lady. Anyway, one of the first things I noticed was the UNISEX color of the carseat, the UNISEX color of the baby's blanket and matching beanie. So, what do I do now? No clues yet as to if it is a boy or girl. So, I reach in and kind of pull the blanket down to get a peek of the baby's clothes...guess what...the color is ambiguous. I have no clue what I am looking at other than it is a baby and a proud momma.
So, here comes the moment my spiritual gift is getting closer to public demonstration. I ask, "What is the baby's name?" The mom said, "We name the baby Terri/Terry. I know both men and women named Terri/Terry. Come on God, I need some help here...throw me a bone! So, I said to my friend and proud mother, "It sure is cute!" That was the moment you have been waiting for.
My friend, was incredibly upset at my choice of pronoun I used to describe her baby. She said idignantly, "IT! I will have you know that you do not need to call my DAUGHTER...IT."
So, I did what any good person would do...I tried to explain myself. However, I soon realized that you can't explain your way out of this type of thing and what was intended to be a very cordial moment with an old friend that I had not seen in years was now victim to me in all my glory. So, I apologized and quietly walked to my table with those in my party just shaking their heads in disbelief as to what happened. I even think I heard a random "Bless his heart" by some onlookers like they were on the midway watching the maneating chicken.
Then I thought, what if God has the same reaction to us when we call the Holy Spirit it. I wonder if He just shakes His head and looks at Jesus and says, "These people, they just do understand who He is."
The Holy Spirit wants to have a relationship with us, counsel us, give us divine wisdom, protect us and give us supernatural love, joy and peace. We just don't know what we have in the third person in the Trinity.
So, with that, pursue a relationship with the Holy Spirit...He will change everything.
A few months back, I went back to my hometown to visit. We were out and about and I ran into a friend that I attended High School with. After making the courteous restaurant table visit and catch up that is so much expected in the Deep South, the conversation turned to what we are doing now and how many kids we have. I, being the excellent father that I am, had a picture of my 2 kids(that was BK...before Katie). Then my friend announced that she had just had a child and just so happened to have the baby in the car seat on the floor beside her. This is when business picked up. I could feel it...my spiritual gift welling up inside and about to be exposed to the world.
The proud mother grabbe the handle of the car carrier and showed me her most cherished newborn. Now, to be fair to me, all newborns look alike! All of the them are kind of crinkly, red and slobbery. What sets some apart is that some have more hair than others. I know what you are thinking..."You didn't tell her she had an ugly baby." No, that was a different lady. Anyway, one of the first things I noticed was the UNISEX color of the carseat, the UNISEX color of the baby's blanket and matching beanie. So, what do I do now? No clues yet as to if it is a boy or girl. So, I reach in and kind of pull the blanket down to get a peek of the baby's clothes...guess what...the color is ambiguous. I have no clue what I am looking at other than it is a baby and a proud momma.
So, here comes the moment my spiritual gift is getting closer to public demonstration. I ask, "What is the baby's name?" The mom said, "We name the baby Terri/Terry. I know both men and women named Terri/Terry. Come on God, I need some help here...throw me a bone! So, I said to my friend and proud mother, "It sure is cute!" That was the moment you have been waiting for.
My friend, was incredibly upset at my choice of pronoun I used to describe her baby. She said idignantly, "IT! I will have you know that you do not need to call my DAUGHTER...IT."
So, I did what any good person would do...I tried to explain myself. However, I soon realized that you can't explain your way out of this type of thing and what was intended to be a very cordial moment with an old friend that I had not seen in years was now victim to me in all my glory. So, I apologized and quietly walked to my table with those in my party just shaking their heads in disbelief as to what happened. I even think I heard a random "Bless his heart" by some onlookers like they were on the midway watching the maneating chicken.
Then I thought, what if God has the same reaction to us when we call the Holy Spirit it. I wonder if He just shakes His head and looks at Jesus and says, "These people, they just do understand who He is."
The Holy Spirit wants to have a relationship with us, counsel us, give us divine wisdom, protect us and give us supernatural love, joy and peace. We just don't know what we have in the third person in the Trinity.
So, with that, pursue a relationship with the Holy Spirit...He will change everything.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Success...that word wears me out!
Well, here we are at the cusp of a new year. Every year at this time, I take a few days to reflect on what has transpired over the course of the previous 12 months. I evaluate where I started, where I was in the middle and where and how I finished out. There is one thing that drives me absolutely crazy about evaluations, especially self-evaluations. It is dealing with the wins and losses...notice I didn't used 'successes and failures'. I had a friend who knew that I was doing my yearly review and asked me if I had a "successful" year of ministry. Now, don't quit reading here...this can crossover to the world of occupations outside of ministry as well. I want to go on record now...I cannot stand the word "success" when it relates to ministry. Success to me is when you climb the corporate ladder, you get promotions, you get huge bonuses or raises that are extreme. Success to me implies building up yourself to a higher level so that others can recognize your accomplishments.
Success reeks of self, pride, and fear. These things isolate man from God, man from man, and man from himself. If we are not careful, we will build our own little private isolation booths. Another negative impact of addiction to self, pride, and fear is that they result in unhealthy horizontal comparisons. Instead of measuring success in terms of how well a person is following God's plan for their lives, people are constantly tempted to look to the right and to the left to see how you stack up with others around you. True success is simply obeying God's will for you life...its not having the most at your church, making the biggest amount of money, winning the most games, or even getting that promotion.
"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, they are not wise. We however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you." - 2 Corinthians 10:12-13
Success reeks of self, pride, and fear. These things isolate man from God, man from man, and man from himself. If we are not careful, we will build our own little private isolation booths. Another negative impact of addiction to self, pride, and fear is that they result in unhealthy horizontal comparisons. Instead of measuring success in terms of how well a person is following God's plan for their lives, people are constantly tempted to look to the right and to the left to see how you stack up with others around you. True success is simply obeying God's will for you life...its not having the most at your church, making the biggest amount of money, winning the most games, or even getting that promotion.
"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, they are not wise. We however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you." - 2 Corinthians 10:12-13
Monday, October 26, 2009
Start Fresh Every Morning
I have been reading a lot...abnormal amounts of time with my nose in the Bible or in a book have consumed my "free time". I am the world's worst at totally messing things up. I have that spiritual gift...you know, the one that has the gift of putting one's foot in one's mouth? I have it. And I am also one that can take something and do it, but sometimes it is totally backward of what God intended or how He has it set up. By nature, I am a problem-solver. I tend to treat everything like it is a situation that can be overcome or there is another way to get around it or the best and my favorite way of dealing with a problem...head on and knock it on its backside like an Adrian Peterson run.
However, rest is not always something that I can easily solve. Here is the reason...there will always be a tension between what I do and who I am because they run so closely together. I say it all the time...ministers, minister; doctors, doctor; coaches, coach; ushers, ush (not exactly sure about that one). A little over one month ago, a good friend challenged me with a devotion and has since felt like God's purpose for him in my life is to remind me to REST. I also have a mindset of...I don't have time to rest! Guess what? The world will still revolve, people will still have needs, my family will still be there...however, God told us to take a Sabbath...and REST. I am guilty...I haven't been observing a Sabbath. As a minister, my work is done during worship on most people's Sabbath. Sure, I can take a day off, but what good is a day off if I consume it with work anyway and neglect resting?
I read this little excerpt in a book from Dr. Wayne Cordeiro called Leading on Empty. In this few paragraphs, he reminded me that God broke out lifetime down into bite-sized chunks that we call years, where every 365 days or so everything begins anew. And within that, he gave us four season, or quarters (sorry for the football reference here...I like it!) as opportunities to start all over again. Even within that, he factored in what we call months, repetitions of the lunar cycle. And, if that weren't enough, He broke it down to days or 24 hour segments of time, and those into minutes, unlimited opportunities to start again, to begin fresh!
Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us of this new beginning: "The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
A few weeks ago, I went and played golf. I used to be pretty good at the game...then I began working. Golf kind of took a backseat. Anyway, I was lined up to hit my drive and I crushed it! I was sitting there in my finishing pose watching a drive that Tiger Woods would have envied when it happened...my ball took a hard right into the homes that were lining the fairway. The ball made serious contact. However, I did not hear a scream, yelp or crash so I thought I was alright. Then I started thinking about the rules...that is a 2 stroke penalty. I was playing with a friend and said, "Take a mulligan!"
I immediately made this dude the first one I call to do anything. A mulligan is a free do-over. No penalty.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could imagine a conversation like this one at the end of the day?
"Oh God, I don't even know what to say. I messed up so much today."
And the Lord smiles and says, "Take a mulligan. Just do it over. Tomorrow is your second try, so get some rest."
In essence, that is exactly what He does. I'm not saying we should minimize our sins or deny our problems and mistakes. We need to deal with them correctly, in the way God would have us deal with them. Often we do, but then we still don't take the mulligan!
The Lord says, "I am giving you forgiveness. Let's start all over."
And we say, "Ah, no, no. I feel so badly. I've got to beat myself to death."
And God says, "Won't you just take it?"
How many of you would say, "Boy, I could really use a new chance at life." This is why God gives us 24 hour increments. A new beginning.
Psalm 30:5 says, "Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
Prayer: God, I pray for all who read this that they be inspired to rest. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in you. I pray that we accept the built in mulligans you have provided for us with each new day. May each person strive to do your will for their lives. Amen.
However, rest is not always something that I can easily solve. Here is the reason...there will always be a tension between what I do and who I am because they run so closely together. I say it all the time...ministers, minister; doctors, doctor; coaches, coach; ushers, ush (not exactly sure about that one). A little over one month ago, a good friend challenged me with a devotion and has since felt like God's purpose for him in my life is to remind me to REST. I also have a mindset of...I don't have time to rest! Guess what? The world will still revolve, people will still have needs, my family will still be there...however, God told us to take a Sabbath...and REST. I am guilty...I haven't been observing a Sabbath. As a minister, my work is done during worship on most people's Sabbath. Sure, I can take a day off, but what good is a day off if I consume it with work anyway and neglect resting?
I read this little excerpt in a book from Dr. Wayne Cordeiro called Leading on Empty. In this few paragraphs, he reminded me that God broke out lifetime down into bite-sized chunks that we call years, where every 365 days or so everything begins anew. And within that, he gave us four season, or quarters (sorry for the football reference here...I like it!) as opportunities to start all over again. Even within that, he factored in what we call months, repetitions of the lunar cycle. And, if that weren't enough, He broke it down to days or 24 hour segments of time, and those into minutes, unlimited opportunities to start again, to begin fresh!
Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us of this new beginning: "The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
A few weeks ago, I went and played golf. I used to be pretty good at the game...then I began working. Golf kind of took a backseat. Anyway, I was lined up to hit my drive and I crushed it! I was sitting there in my finishing pose watching a drive that Tiger Woods would have envied when it happened...my ball took a hard right into the homes that were lining the fairway. The ball made serious contact. However, I did not hear a scream, yelp or crash so I thought I was alright. Then I started thinking about the rules...that is a 2 stroke penalty. I was playing with a friend and said, "Take a mulligan!"
I immediately made this dude the first one I call to do anything. A mulligan is a free do-over. No penalty.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could imagine a conversation like this one at the end of the day?
"Oh God, I don't even know what to say. I messed up so much today."
And the Lord smiles and says, "Take a mulligan. Just do it over. Tomorrow is your second try, so get some rest."
In essence, that is exactly what He does. I'm not saying we should minimize our sins or deny our problems and mistakes. We need to deal with them correctly, in the way God would have us deal with them. Often we do, but then we still don't take the mulligan!
The Lord says, "I am giving you forgiveness. Let's start all over."
And we say, "Ah, no, no. I feel so badly. I've got to beat myself to death."
And God says, "Won't you just take it?"
How many of you would say, "Boy, I could really use a new chance at life." This is why God gives us 24 hour increments. A new beginning.
Psalm 30:5 says, "Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
Prayer: God, I pray for all who read this that they be inspired to rest. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in you. I pray that we accept the built in mulligans you have provided for us with each new day. May each person strive to do your will for their lives. Amen.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Passion is the Spark for Your Fuse...
Passion Is The Spark For Your Fuse
Ecclesiastes 9:10
God has put into every person the potential to be passionate. One person with a passion is greater than 100 people with an interest. What is the main reason that people don't know what they are going to do with their future? They have only an "interest" in their destiny.
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Ecclesiastes 9:10.
Everyone loves something. We are shaped and motivated by the things that we love. Those things that we love is our passion. If you ignore that thing that you are passionate about, then you ignore one of the greatest potentials that God has placed inside of you!
"Nothing significant was ever achieved without passion." - John Mason
Sometimes, we forget that there are some things that we love to do…something that we are good at doing and not just good at, but when we do it, it is relaxing. Paul had to remind Timothy of this in his 2nd letter to him.
2Ti 1:6-7 ISV
(6) For this reason, I am reminding you to fan into flames the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.
(7) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline.
QUESTION: What would you do, right now, if you knew you could not fail?
Jesus Christ was a passionate man. He died for us because He loved us passionately!!
How else would someone come to the conclusion to die for you and me.
How can I become passionate about something if I know I will probably mess it up? This question shows that a person has a negative outlook on themselves. This is the "loser" mentality. Isn't it ashamed that God doesn't look on me as a loser like I do? Most winners are ex-losers who got passionate about something.
What is Passion? Passion is simply this... enthusiasm, excitement, joy, happiness, etc. The worst loss in the world is the person who has lost his enthusiasm, his passion.
Why is it then that you see so many Christians that are totally opposite? Some are excited, some aren't.
I believe that you see a difference in Christian’s excitement because of one of two things:
1. There is an abundance of passion in their life, or
2. There is a lack of passion in their life.
You see, when you add passion to belief, it becomes a conviction. And there is a big difference in belief and conviction.
What is the difference?
Belief agrees with facts, while conviction brings consistent action to your belief.
Why is this so important? Because a person that is driven by passionate conviction, can do anything they want to do with their life-except give up on the thing that they care about!
A good example of a “passionate conviction” can be found in 1 Samuel 14:
1Sa 14:6-15 MKJV
(6) And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. It may be that Jehovah will work for us. For there is no restraint to Jehovah, to save by many or by few.
(7) And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart. Turn, for behold, I am with you according to your heart.
(8) And Jonathan said, Behold, we will go over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them.
(9) If they say this to us, Stand still until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them.
(10) But if they say this, Come up to us, then we will go up, for Jehovah has delivered them up into our hand. And this shall be a sign to us.
(11) And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.
(12) And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, Come up to us, and we will teach you a thing. And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for Jehovah has delivered them into the hand of Israel.
(13) And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed after him.
(14) And this was the first blow, when Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck about twenty men in about half of a furrow of an acre of a field.
(15) And there was trembling in the army, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the spoilers also trembled, and the earth quaked, and it was a very great trembling.
"What generates passion and zeal in you is a clue to revealing your destiny. What you love is a clue to something you contain, which is your future." - Mike Murdock
What is destiny? It is your fate, your vocation, it is what you are on this planet for…
Fulfilling God's plan for your life is a passion or it is nothing. In Deuteronomy 10:12 says, " Serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul."
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and a possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."- Henri Frederic Amiel
You see the attitude that looks negative all the time always quits before it is time for success to happen. Pessimism never won any battles.
"there are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a very few that catch my heart... it is those I consider to pursue." -Tim Redmond
If you couple passion to what you were created for…you can change the world.
Let The Passion That Is Within You Rise To Meet Your Destiny.
Prayer: God help everyone who reads this to regain their passion for you. Help each of us to become passionate as Christ was passionate. Help us to let others realize that the passion we have on the outside is from a change on the inside. Amen.
My Prayer for you:
1. Have you lost your passion for God?
2. Do you want to regain that lost passion for God?
3. Are you afraid of what God wants you to do?
4. Do you want to become a passionate person like Christ was passionate?
5. Will you respond to the Holy Spirit this morning?
Ecclesiastes 9:10
God has put into every person the potential to be passionate. One person with a passion is greater than 100 people with an interest. What is the main reason that people don't know what they are going to do with their future? They have only an "interest" in their destiny.
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Ecclesiastes 9:10.
Everyone loves something. We are shaped and motivated by the things that we love. Those things that we love is our passion. If you ignore that thing that you are passionate about, then you ignore one of the greatest potentials that God has placed inside of you!
"Nothing significant was ever achieved without passion." - John Mason
Sometimes, we forget that there are some things that we love to do…something that we are good at doing and not just good at, but when we do it, it is relaxing. Paul had to remind Timothy of this in his 2nd letter to him.
2Ti 1:6-7 ISV
(6) For this reason, I am reminding you to fan into flames the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.
(7) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline.
QUESTION: What would you do, right now, if you knew you could not fail?
Jesus Christ was a passionate man. He died for us because He loved us passionately!!
How else would someone come to the conclusion to die for you and me.
How can I become passionate about something if I know I will probably mess it up? This question shows that a person has a negative outlook on themselves. This is the "loser" mentality. Isn't it ashamed that God doesn't look on me as a loser like I do? Most winners are ex-losers who got passionate about something.
What is Passion? Passion is simply this... enthusiasm, excitement, joy, happiness, etc. The worst loss in the world is the person who has lost his enthusiasm, his passion.
Why is it then that you see so many Christians that are totally opposite? Some are excited, some aren't.
I believe that you see a difference in Christian’s excitement because of one of two things:
1. There is an abundance of passion in their life, or
2. There is a lack of passion in their life.
You see, when you add passion to belief, it becomes a conviction. And there is a big difference in belief and conviction.
What is the difference?
Belief agrees with facts, while conviction brings consistent action to your belief.
Why is this so important? Because a person that is driven by passionate conviction, can do anything they want to do with their life-except give up on the thing that they care about!
A good example of a “passionate conviction” can be found in 1 Samuel 14:
1Sa 14:6-15 MKJV
(6) And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. It may be that Jehovah will work for us. For there is no restraint to Jehovah, to save by many or by few.
(7) And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart. Turn, for behold, I am with you according to your heart.
(8) And Jonathan said, Behold, we will go over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them.
(9) If they say this to us, Stand still until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them.
(10) But if they say this, Come up to us, then we will go up, for Jehovah has delivered them up into our hand. And this shall be a sign to us.
(11) And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.
(12) And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, Come up to us, and we will teach you a thing. And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for Jehovah has delivered them into the hand of Israel.
(13) And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed after him.
(14) And this was the first blow, when Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck about twenty men in about half of a furrow of an acre of a field.
(15) And there was trembling in the army, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the spoilers also trembled, and the earth quaked, and it was a very great trembling.
"What generates passion and zeal in you is a clue to revealing your destiny. What you love is a clue to something you contain, which is your future." - Mike Murdock
What is destiny? It is your fate, your vocation, it is what you are on this planet for…
Fulfilling God's plan for your life is a passion or it is nothing. In Deuteronomy 10:12 says, " Serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul."
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and a possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."- Henri Frederic Amiel
You see the attitude that looks negative all the time always quits before it is time for success to happen. Pessimism never won any battles.
"there are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a very few that catch my heart... it is those I consider to pursue." -Tim Redmond
If you couple passion to what you were created for…you can change the world.
Let The Passion That Is Within You Rise To Meet Your Destiny.
Prayer: God help everyone who reads this to regain their passion for you. Help each of us to become passionate as Christ was passionate. Help us to let others realize that the passion we have on the outside is from a change on the inside. Amen.
My Prayer for you:
1. Have you lost your passion for God?
2. Do you want to regain that lost passion for God?
3. Are you afraid of what God wants you to do?
4. Do you want to become a passionate person like Christ was passionate?
5. Will you respond to the Holy Spirit this morning?
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