44 BE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR FAITH.

Can you remember when you purchased your first car? How proud you were? How you loved it, cleaned polished and looked after it? You told all your friends about it, or rang your Gran and asked if you could take her for a drive in it? Do you have fond memories of the passion that seemed to overtake you every time you proudly took the wheel. Why? ..Because you had worked hard, saved for it and achieved your passion to have your own car In the book of Nehemiah,we read of such a man. He was the Cup-barer to the King, and his greatest Passion was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which had been demolished several years earlier. Seeing the passion Nehemiah displayed for the city of his god, the king not only gave his blessing for the rebuilding of the wall, but also supplied all the materials for the project. When people see passion and commitment they not only hold you in higher esteem, but pay more attention to what you say and do because they want to know more. Passion is the starting point for all achievement. There has never been anyone who achieved anything of value, who wasn’t passionate about it. It’s the energy that fuels your dream. Such was the case with Nehemiah. We need to ask ourselves, How passionate am I about my God? This God that I profess to know and love with my whole heart? Do I keep Him in Brackets or in the perimeters of human abilities. I was speaking to a lady the other day, and asked her if she believed in God, her answer, though honest, didn’t surprise me she said “God is all right in His place” Thinking about her answer, I believe most people, even some Christians have this attitude towards God. The obvious reply to what she said is… and where is God’s place? As Spirit filled Baptised Bible believers, we know and understand, Almighty God, The Creator of the Universe desires to reside in our hearts and occupy our minds. This is the God who has the Universe in His hands, yet we want to restrict Him . This will never happen, because the created can never be greater than the Creator. How sad to think that we put restrictions on this God who loves us so much that He gave His only Son to be sacrificed on a cross for us. We need to ask ourselves, Why do people enjoy and like us, or not like and enjoy us? the answer in both cases is the same, because we carry that priceless Jewel of God’s Holy Spirit within us, and if we truly follow His promptings we will lead souls to Christ. That will happen as we get more and more passionate for God, and His Son Jesus. Then people will realise the only way they can have that priceless jewel is by accepting Jesus as their Lord and saviour and becoming a child of God, willing to be led by The Holy Spirit. Leading people to Christ is not always an easy task, and sometimes can take months, or even years and a lot of prayer and commitment, but remember what Jesus said in (Luke 15:7) “There will be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner, than Ninety nine who don’t repent” (Paraphrased) so if we are truly passionate about God let all heaven and earth know about it. We don’t have to do God’s job for Him, Nevertheless, we are required to fulfil the great commission in (Mark16;15) “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all Nations.” I think the road to success in this area is cluttered with detours, problems and disappointments. And if we don’t have the right mindset, our passion and attitude towards God, His gifts to us and indeed our very Faith itself can slowly fade away. I agree, there are days when the needle on our passion metres will be on empty. On those days we need to recall the commitment we made to God to never allow anything to come between Him and us, Satan is working hard to dissuade you and me to give it all away. And go back. Go back to what? What can the world offer us that can replace what we have in Christ. A new house, a new car, millions of “Lotto “ Dollars? Now, look at your life, how many years will you have to enjoy all that? Now do the maths. Forty or fifty years is no match for eternity. Remember when you were first Baptised in the Holy Spirit, you couldn’t stop talking about it, and you couldn’t get enough of Him. Have you forgotten, gone cold, or just don’t have that passion for Jesus any more, on those days, we need to remember, God gave you that passion and those dreams. Take that “empty tank” to God and ask Him for a refill, God knows we are human and there are times we all need a top-up and the strength to go forward. In Psalm (18;29) we read “For you will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.” Who gives you the power to run and leap? God! But you can’t sit back, fold your arms, and think enthusiasm, happiness and passion will all fall into your lap. No!, God wont do it all for you. For your passion to continue, you will need God’s presence, inspiration and guidance everyday and when you put in the perspiration you will receive the manifestation of a renewed passion for Christ and the things of God which will grow in you that are worth striving for. And if your passion is truly for Christ, the price tag wont stop you. I have found the more I strive and search for Jesus, the more He reveals Himself to me. One of my favourite Scriptures is (Jeremiah 29:13) “When you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.) You will get up every morning, draw on God’s grace and take one more step in the direction of the passion you know God has put in your heart for Him. The Bible tells us “God is Love” and Paul says “Love is the greatest gift of all”. I believe our gifts of Praise,Thanksgiving, and love for God is what He treasures most, when they are set on fire by our passion as we press towards life eternal with our God. Thank you for reading my thoughts on “Passionate Faith.” I pray it helps on your Journey through life. May God be with us all, Phaline. -----------------------------