I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.- Jesus

I. Things for which we should demonstrate Passion rather than Escapism (Last week)

A. God’s Word Ps 19:10  More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

  Mr 4:19 the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful

B. God’s Wisdom Pr 8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

C. God Himself Ps 37:4  Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

  Ps 73:2...there is none upon earth that]I desire besides You.  Ps 27:4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I    

  may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.

  Phil 3:8 indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the

  loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

D. Fear of God Pr 23:17  Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;

E. God’s Work Rom 12:11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope,

  Ac 18:25  This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things 

  of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

F. God Given Work Col 3:23 whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will

  receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done...

  Ecc 2:24  Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was

  from the hand of God. 26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work...

G. God Given Spouse So 7:10  I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me.

H. Good Works Tit 2:14 gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify...people, zealous for good works

I. Given by God to those who please Him Ps 20:4  May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose.

J. Life Mt 16:25  "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

K. Greatness Mt 20:26  "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

II. Develop Passion by Planning and Prioritizing the tasks of your life according to God’s purpose for you.

Plan and Prioritize your life so you fulfill your God designed Purpose for being on this planet (Worship=Response to Revelation)

                Without purpose, you’re a Styrofoam cup in the gutter. Failure to plan is planning to fail. No priorities, no Lordship.

Act with commitment and enthusiasm as you align daily steps to reach eternally worth goals that fulfill your purpose

If you’re apathetic about your activities, you need to link them to compelling goals, that you believe are God’s will for you.

Sacrifice the insignificant for the great. Abandon lesser things and abandon yourself to pay the cost to achieve your goals

If you fritter away your life or stuff it with the insignificant, you’ll be insignificant. We get what we pay for.

Spend quality time with energizing people who share your vision and goal accountability (that would include God). Music/Art

                Minimize contact with negative and draining leeches who aren’t committed to going anywhere. Meditate on Masterpieces.

Imagine the benefits to your worth, significance, others, and God from accomplishing your God-guided goals (Identity from Passion)

We will be passionate about something that we really like. We really like things that we see meeting our needs

The more we stare at something the more benefits we see (Carver and the peanut)

Ongoing, constant and never-ending improvement (CANI-TR) results in mastery and major satisfaction. Evaluate to Accelerate.

Celebrate achievements as you build endurance; then raise the bar and challenge yourself. (See 2Pt Perseverance outline)

Never give up nor settle for mediocrity unless you cancel your commitment in writing. Give dead goals a decent burial.

Feel God’s pleasure as you perform the tasks He’s uniquely designed you to do. Delight in Dependence.

Spiritual passion can not coexist with resentments —harboring resentment hinders spiritual growth and effectiveness MacDonald RYSP

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. What are people passionate about? How does their passion show? What should Christians be passionate about? How should it show?

2. Is passion something you just have or can it be changed, developed, focused, or refocused? How does it get diminished?

3. What’s the relationship between passion and: curiosity; fear; perseverance; zeal; energy?

4. If you just act enthusiastic will you be enthusiastic? What else might be needed? What sustains passion?

5. What life-long passions do you have, or will you develop? What will you be passionate about this week?