Back to the Basics #2

Passion.

What is your passion, more specifically what drives you? What gets you excited?
And how are you using what you are passionate about to impact the kingdom of God?

In my journey in the last seven months or so, I've thought about this on and off. When it comes to knowing God's will for my life, I get frustrated... often... a lot. Now, I do not necessarily adhere to any concrete definition of what God's will for my life is. I know that God knows the plans he has for me. I think that as long as I am living my life as a living sacrifice to his will, then the specifics are not mandatory.

I do believe however, that I am the one who puts so much emphasis on "what exactly" God's will is for my life. I place demands and expectations at the feet of my Savior, and expect him to comply to my understanding, my desires (my desires... as in selfish Jeff, not the Jeff who seeks to do the will of God).

And there is the problem. I think that today there is a problem of not knowing what our passions are. We confuse selfish desires and passions that God wants to grow in us and use for his kingdom.

Upon pondering this subject, here are a few things that are rattling around in my brain.

1. Jesus, Be the Centre. Yes boys and girls, sometimes the church answer is indeed the right answer (And spelling like the British is fun, too). If you don't have this priority in your life, we will need to stop this discussion and have a completely different one first. But for the rest of you, y'all know this, and if you are like me, its good to be reminded of it from time to time.

2.Who are you? Who who? Sorry, Old men flailing their arms and CSI just popped into my head there, but seriously, what makes you... you? What gifts, abilities, talents did God bestow upon you? If you despise underwater basket weaving, chances are God is not going to make you go into that realm. That is, unless he gives creates in you that desire...

3. Flounder... with feeling! Definition: 1 : to struggle to move or obtain footing : thrash about wildly 2 : to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually. If you are going to struggle with what your part in the kingdom is and how to get there, struggle through it... in order to get to the other side. At times it feels like I'm in a holding pattern in my journey. But that is not true. God still desires me to be an active member of the kingdom while I figure out where I might fit best according to my passions. God doesn't want me do be a mindless robot doing things just because, he wants me to be fully engaged in a relationship with him and active in his kingdom. And sometimes it takes Stubborn Jeff to go through some character building time to be aligned with God's heart.
At times I feel like I am not where I am to be for much longer. Maybe this is a glimpse of what is to come, maybe this is just not clear because of my specific spot in the journey. My goal is to continue to trust him.

4. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. (Give up, Give in, Do it again.) In 1757, at the age of 22, Robert Robinson said it best when he penned the these lyrics:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

If someone has figured out to surrender their will to God once and for all, please tell me how. Until then, there is a lot of surrender that must take place.


At times I see people around me who are without any driving force, without purpose, without passion. I just wonder how would God's church look if his people truly were engaged in the kingdom with the gifts, desires, and passions that God has given them?

What is your passion?
What drives you?
What gets you excited?
How are you using what you are passionate about to impact the kingdom of God?