Passionate Pursuits: Heart Issues

One very cool thing about your walk with Christ is the discovery of your passions. “Passion” refers to a deep, heart-felt desire related to some area of God's work. You may have heard people say they are “passionate” about something. The real test of their passion would be to remove that item or opportunity from their life for a while. Could they live without it? Passionate people are willing to make major sacrifices in order to accomplish what they believe God desires for them.

Maybe the best way to identify a Kingdom passion is to consider the following statement: “When I'm involved in _____________________ (fill in the blank with some kind of service or ministry), I walk away with the deep feeling that I have to do more of that!”

In my life I really get charged about seeing people become involved in ministry and discover their place in the Kingdom of God. Writing the stuff you are walking through in these lessons really put a fire in my bones. I want and need to be a part of equipping people with these kinds of tools. I know others who have a passion to see leaders grow and to help them develop a greater impact on people who have never heard of Jesus. Others have a passion to make sure people sense connection within their local church. Still others have a passion for helping hurting or hungry or needy people.

The coolest thing about passion is that God plants these deep desires in our lives, and then walks us through opportunities and life experiences to see us fulfill them. There have been days in my life when I looked back and realized that desires I expressed at one point were actually being fulfilled at another point. When those moments happen, it just blows me away to realize that God put all the pieces together for me and that He is celebrating the process of creating of a passionate desire within me.

• What are some experiences in service and ministry you have had that have encouraged you deeply?
• What experience(s) have you had that makes you say, “I have to do more of that!”
• Who are some people you know that obviously are passionate about the areas of service they are a part of? What can you learn from them?