Don\'t Lose Your Passion

“Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.”

Romans 12:11 (AMP)


You don’t have to agree with someones ideology to appreciate their passion and zeal for what they believe in. In recent weeks the world has watched as millions around the world have gathered in protest of the inhumane treatment and ensuing murder of George Floyd. A famous quote attributed to John Wesley comes to mind, “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles around to watch you burn.” There is quite a difference between watching someone burn with passion and watching someone burn buildings. The point is, unbridled passion the book of James reminds us is dangerous, “For where bitter zeal and strife is, there is unquietness and every evil work” (James 3:16 (WesleyNT). Our zeal needs to be properly channeled for it to be God honoring.  

No one was more passionate about life than Jesus and is why the masses followed Him. Everywhere Jesus went He drew a crowd. Some wanted to be near Him, others simply wanted to watch and see what He would do next. No one questioned His zeal for His Father’s house to be a house of prayer as on two separate occasions Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers who bought and sold there and made whips and drove them out. Zeal was one of the distinguishing marks that were to help the people identify the promised Messiah. Psalm 69:9 was penned by King David who was a type of Christ, “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”

May our passion about the things of God be a distinguishing mark of our lives too! Be passionate about the causes that you believe in. Fan the flames of passion in your soul. You do that by capturing God’s heart for the things that are important to Him. And don’t be the fire extinguisher of other peoples hopes and dreams. Encourage them, pray for them, that the zeal they have for the causes they believe in wouldn’t make them self righteous or obnoxious, but would create a glow about their life that makes them especially attractive to an unbelieving world, pointing others to Jesus. I can’t run your race, you cant run mine but what we can do today is look at life like a marathon race. We can offer each other encouragement as we each run with our eye on the prize, and we can be like a refreshing cup of cool water to a weary soul. We can clap loud and shout for joy remembering we are all in this human race together…run with passion!


“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”

1 Corinthians 9:24

I LOVE YOU!

Michael Osthimer

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