Finding Passion
Here is some good news: 2020 is almost over! This has been a rough year, the worst year for many people. Not for me. 1986 was my worst year. I’d like to 86 eighty-six! Near the end of that hellacious year, I got away.
I checked myself into a hotel, and spent a day or so, praying fasting, and reading as much of the New Testament as I could. Two verses just jumped out at me. One was from Acts 15, regarding purpose. The other was from Romans 15, on passion.
I immediately began preaching on Acts 15. I suspect I have spoken on that passage nearly a hundred times. But I have never spoken or written on the other verse that re-directed me - Romans 15 - until now. Here it is:
“My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.”
Romans 15 (NLT)
In this verse, Paul talks about his ambition. Some versions call it his aim, his aspiration. His inspiration, if you will. The Passion Translation translates it as passion - of course, it does!
“It is my honor and constant passion to be a pioneer who preaches where no one has ever even heard of the Anointed One, instead of building upon someone else’s foundation.” Romans 15 (TPT)
Paul talks about his passion. Bob Goff describes passion this way:
“You can feel it. I don’t even have to define what it is—you know exactly what I’m talking about. It is that ‘something more to life’ rumbling around in your gut, that tug drawing you toward a scary, audacious dream.”
Bob Goff, “Dream Big”
Paul’s passion was to start churches. When I saw that thirty-four years ago, it confirmed my passion to plant churches. Planting churches is the number one strategy for helping people turn to God. My wife and I have planted three churches and helped start hundreds more. We created Excel Leadership Network to help people start churches. We started 60 churches last year and hope to start a hundred beginning January first.
But as you read about Paul’s passion or ambition you may have noticed something. Is it a mistake? Is it an error in the Bible? Is Paul actually lying to us?
He says, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.—Romans 15:20 (NIV)
If you have read many of Paul’s writings you know this isn’t exactly the case. Paul has admitted that growing up, his passion was to be the best Jewish boy he could be.
“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.” Philippians 3:5 (NLT)
Most of us know that Paul’s passion turned toward stopping Christianity. His passion was to arrest believers, to actually kill Christians!
Is Paul lying? No, he is showing us a distinction.
Don’t pursue your passion, instead pursue God’s passion for your life.
Being a good Jew is not all that important. Instead, step into God’s passion for your life.
Do not spend—or waste too much time on your own passions. They are probably trivial. I’ve been passionate about baseball, but it is trivial. We did just fine without it this year. The Dodgers won and who cares?
For a while, I was passionate about English cars. I drove my friend’s 1953 MG for a summer and bought an MG myself. That’s when the passion ended as I discovered MG stands for My Goodness why won’t it run?
Don’t worry about your passion. Discover God’s passion for your life.
Paul found his passion and so can you! But how?
How to Find God’s Passion for Your Life
1. Step into God’s mercy
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Romans 12:1 (NIV)
There’s a lot of buzz about justice these days. Paul talks about mercy.
Do you want justice? Paul says in Romans 3 that all have sinned and fall short. Then in Romans 6 he says the wages of sin is death. True justice would be God wiping all of us off the face of the earth this very second.
I think of the lady who got her new driver’s license in the mail. “This picture doesn’t do me justice,” she shouted. Her friend responded, “At your age you don’t need justice, you need mercy.”
Commit! Passion follows commitment!
2. Transform your mind
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2
If you are going to find God’s passion, not necessarily your own, then you need to change your mind.
God changed me from thinking my passion was church planting, to realize He gave me a passion for church planters and leaders.
Mark Twain recommended, “Take your mind out every now and then and dance on it. It is getting all caked up.”
3. Get real
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Romans 12:3 (NIV)
We are susceptible to think more highly of ourselves than we should. We think we can be a movie star, a rock star, a sports star or a social media star. Reality says we can’t act, we can’t sing, we can’t hit a curveball, and we only have six followers on Instagram. Get real.
4. Find your gift
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
Romans 12:6 (NIV)
Your gift and your passion will go together.
5. Get along with people
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10 (NIV)“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:18 (NIV)
Without love, Paul stresses in 1 Corinthians 13, we have nothing.
Our passion is about us, God’s passion for our lives is about loving others.
Bob Goff asks, “If God answered every one of your prayers, would it change anybody’s life except your own?”
6. Refuse to project
“So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”
Romans 14:13 (NLT)
We tend to project our passions on to other people, judging them if they don’t think just like us. In Romans 14 Paul reveals that this projection is especially common when it comes to issues like celebrating days and what we eat.
I have friends who like to start singing Christmas carols around Labor Day. I tend to get into Christmas celebrations around, you know, Christmas…
A few years ago we had Thanksgiving with some extended family members. I walked into their place and was hit with an awful smell. What was that stench? Had a possum died behind the couch? Just as I was about to say something about the odor another family entered the house and gleefully yelled, “It smells like something delicious is cooking!” I kept my mouth shut, which is great advice for finding God’s passion for your life.
7. Don’t give up
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Romans 12:11 (NIV)
Keep looking for God’s passion! Keep seeking, keep clarifying, keep your fervor! Kindle your zeal—God’s zeal for your life.
I’m praying that 2020 will turn out to be a better year for you than you thought. I’m praying this is the year you took new steps into discovering God’s passion for your life.