[lead dropcap="yes"]The driving force behind all greatness will always be passion. Whether it is art, music, drama, service, writing, speaking, or any form of work there is a creativity awakened inside that comes simply from a passion to pursue.[/lead]
This weekend, as we met together for another gathering, we were reminded of this passion that we all possess, in a talk inspired by one of our core church values entitled; Passion is Our Pursuit.There is nothing in this world that qualifies to receive a stamp of excellence that has been created without passion. There is no form of greatness that can survive without passion. It is the driving factor of dreams that become reality and the secret ingredient fueling the fire in the eyes of the ambitious. We are all driven by our unique form of passion that mobilizes us and gives us the energy to move forward. Without it our lives would be summed up in two words: static and repetitive.
Passion Is Our Pursuit
There are many things that we can do to build our passion, yet there are also many things we will experience in life that can be passion killers. We must come to realize that the survival of our passion lies in our own hands. Will we choose to practice being joyful and patient in our faith journey? Or will we find ourselves struggling with the three passion killers: sorrow, anxiety, and despair?Pastor Rich gave us three questions to ask ourselves that show the power we have in our choices:1. Are you joyful in hope or stuck in sorrow?Many of us have confused being happy with being joyful. Happiness is based on "happenings" - your favorite team wins or you finally get the promotion at work. But being joyful is knowing despite any outcome of life's situations, we remain in hope of God's promise, which keeps us in a state of being grateful.
2. Are you patient in affliction or anxious in excuses?
In the midst of life’s struggles, it’s difficult for us to understand that our faith and journey with God to fulfill our purpose will always take patience. We must understand that when God plants the seed of a dream inside of us, it will take time to be ready for that dream to come to life.
3. Are you faithful in prayer or fearful in despair?
The Greek word for passion is “heart”. We are reminded that to sustain our passion and be a true Christ follower means to seek God in prayer wholeheartedly. We must focus ourselves on seeking God daily and bringing our concerns to him rather than letting our fears consume us. We have a choice on what we feed daily - our faith, or our fears.
“What will you allow to lead you: faith or fear?”Rich Wilkerson, Jr.
God is saying, give this your ALL, don’t be half hearted, if you’re going to follow me my desire is that you do so with enthusiasm and passion! Our takeaway this weekend is this: Jesus is saying: when serving me, loving me, and desiring to live for me, keep your passion going. Be disciplined to keep the fire burning. Pursue your passion and protect that passion with constant prayer. In doing so, you will begin to stir up the passion that is inside for all that God is leading you to.
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VOUS Conference Team Night
VOUS Conference is around the corner, and we need all hands on deck to help put on our biggest outreach opportunity of the year. This Thursday we will host Team Night for VOUS Conference at Jose De Diego Middle School. It will be a time for all of us to gather and learn more about how we can serve at VOUS Conference.
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