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Amazing.
Don't let others dictate your passion
Ever step into a room after spending time with Jesus and find that people aren’t as passionate as you are? You feel like Jesus is coming back in five minutes and it seems everyone else is sleeping?
Sometimes we can allow the passion level of who we are with dictate how we will be. As a worship leader, I succumb to this all too often. I’ll be excited to press into the presence of God and it seems no one wants to come with me.
Do I lead the way with my passion for God or just relax?
What should you do?
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11).
I love this verse. Fervent means to have great intensity. Our zeal for Jesus should be burning hot at all times. When it is not, we should cry out to God and press into Him even harder.
Here’s my challenge: Don’t let other dictate your passion level for Jesus. Be a leader. I’ve heard it said to be a thermostat, not a thermometer.
If you live this way, you will bring others to a higher level.
Is Your Faith Your Own?
It is incredibly important to live a life of communing with God. Not just reading books. Not just listening to sermons. Not just talking theology with friends. Not just subscribing to the hottest podcast, blog, or attending great conferences.
I’m talking personal dialogue with the Holy Spirit.
While all those things are valuable in their place, nothing can replace personal communion with God. You must have a personal walk with God as a your life foundation.
If you do not have a personal, daily time with God where you talk with Him, you may be living off someone else’s revelation and journey. You can deceive yourself into thinking you personally know God, when actually you may rarely speak with Him. How can you know someone if you don’t hang out together?
Is your faith your own, or are you living off someone else’s?
Stand in the Presence of God
I’ve been working my way through Bob Sorge’s new book, “Power of the Blood” and loved his somewhat fictional conversation with the archangel, Gabriel:
Gabriel the archangel, when he appeared to Zacharias, described his occupation in this manner: “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19).
“So what do you do, Gabriel?”
“I stand in the presence of God.”
“Yes, I understand that, but I’m wondering what you do.”
“I stand in the presence of God.”
“Yes, I get that, but I mean, you’re an angel; so what exactly does an angel do?”
“I’m not sure you’re hearing me,” I can imagine an exasperated Gabriel retorting. “That’s what I do. I stand in the presence of God, gape with wonder at His glory, and burn with fiery desire before the throne. If He sends me somewhere, I go; if He doesn’t send me, I just stand there.”
Wide Awake Study Guide: Chapter 2
DISCOVER – The Explorer
• Describe your most memorable vacation. What made it so memorable?
• Have you forsaken your dream for a life you can manage?
• What are some practical steps you can take to explore; to continue learning?
• As a group, identify something that is wrong with the world. How could you go beyond identifying the problem to creating the solution?
“Real genius, real invention is not about identifying a problem but about solving it.”
• What is your life contributing to the world?
“God seems to free the oppressed, end injustice, feed the hungry, bring victory, and do every good work through men and women who refuse to surrender to the problem.”
• Do you have a career or a calling? Are you where you are by accident or intention?
Read the Red
Want to know a simple Bible study exercise? Read the red. I’ve been reading through the book of Luke over the past week and am amazed at the profundity, wisdom, beauty, and life-giving truth of Jesus’ words. Jesus is truly amazing. Take some time today and sit underneath the teaching of the greatest Teacher who ever lived, who also happens to be the Son of God.
What a privilege!
The Encore Effect
I just finished reading Mark Sanborn’s book, The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do. What an engaging read! I recommend this book for anyone in any area of leadership. I particularly like his points on what characterizes on encore performance:
- Commitment – the price you are willing to pay to get remarkable results
- Professionalism – worrying more about the impact of your performance than those you perform for
- Skills – making the difficult look easy through hard work…finding solutions
- Values – beliefs that a person holds most dear…this is your brand
- Character = Integrity: the distance between your lips and your life
I Want To Be Rich…
“‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:19-21).
Lord, I feel the draw each and every day to coast, relax and simply enjoy the pleasures of this world. Without your help, I will live only to make myself happy. Teach me what it means to be rich toward You. May all my goals bow down before this defining vision.
Songwriting Thought
Christ came:
“to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79).
What if our songs were so drenched in passion for Christ, exalted Biblical visions of Christ, and so magnified Christ that they helped accomplish this verse in people’s lives?
The Power of a Focused Life
As I travel through life, I’m realizing more and more how important it is to be focused. Without vision and discipline, life is a frustrated conglomeration of events. You begin to settle for the lesser things in life. You live below what you are capable of. You may become too dependent on leisure if there is not a focus that is governing your everyday life.
As a focused person, you begin to key in on what is most important to you, aiming your life towards a goal. This type of living makes your life more productive and fulfilling. Especially as a Christian, you shouldn’t get quite as discouraged by momentary setbacks because you know God is fighting for you and trials are what they are – momentary. I think we all need to ask these questions:
- What am I most passionate about?
- What are the gifts God has given me?
- Who do I want to reach?
Allow yourself to dream big dreams. Live a life that is focused for the glory of God.
