Been a talk
presented by Apst. UDOCHI ELECHI ALEGUA during the 2020 School Rally of the
scripture Union (Agip Group) holding at New Creation Baptist Church Agip
Rumueme.
INTRODUCTION:
Passion is a difference maker. It’s the fuel
that mobilizes warriors to rush to battle, motivates scientist to find new
cures, moves athletes to train, and sustains people like you and I to reach
goals as we go through life.
Passionate people are willing to do whatever
it takes…willing to make sacrifices for whatever their heart passionately beats
for. And our hearts beat for a lot of different things.
We were created with the ability to be
passionate. Passion has nothing to do with age. Passion has nothing to do with
personality. You do not have to be an extrovert to be passionate about
something or someone. Every single one of us…were born with a God-given sense
of passion.
The most passionate people in town ought to
be the people of God!
Zeal is just another word for enthusiasm…for
passion.
The word “fervor”…It’s translated from the
Greek word, “Cognate,” which means: to bubble over…literally…boiling over with
interest or desire. Romans 12:11 is literally saying that our spiritual passion
should be boiling hot! Bubbling over!
Romans 12:11 (NIV) - “Never be lacking in
zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Romans 12:11 (NLT) - “Never be lazy, but work
hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
Romans 12:11 (TPT) - “Be enthusiastic to
serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward Him boiling hot! Radiate with the
glow of the Holy Spirit and let Him fill you with excitement as you serve Him.”
This is how we’re supposed to live!
Jesus promised in John 7:38 that, “He
who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water!” That’s a life of passion!
God designed and He desires for you and I to
Stay Passionate!
So…let’s make a few observations regarding
passion. (zeal, fervor, enthusiasm):
1. PASSION IS NOT PASSIVE:
Passive is defined as: lacking in energy or
will, Motionless, Idle, Uninvolved, Disinterested.
2. PASSION CAN BE LOST:
We all know this to be true…and we may look
at this in greater detail in the future…but for today…let me give you a visual
picture of what often happens:
3. PASSION CAN BE MISDIRECTED:
Romans 10:2, Paul is writing about his love
for the people of Israel and describing them, he writes, “I know what enthusiasm they have
for God, but it is misdirected zeal.”
In Philippians 3:6, Paul writing of his own
past, says, “I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church.”
History is filled with misdirected passion.
Misdirected passion only causes a mess.
4. PASSION IS A STIMULUS:
Stimulus: A shot in the arm, fuel, propellent, spur, motivator
It energizes you.
It inspires others - It’s contagious!
2 Corinthians 9:2 - Paul tells the
Corinthians church, “I keep boasting to the churches of Macedonia about your
passion to give…Your enthusiasm is contagious…it has stirred many of them to do
likewise.”
The passion you exhibit will impact the
passion of those around you express.
It’s true for your workplace…it’s true for
your family…and it’s true for your church. Without enthusiasm…without
passion…growth…progress…is an uphill battle. (in fact…when it boils down to
it…passion /enthusiasm is the crucial factor.)
You can’t start a fire in someone else’s
heart until it’s burning in your own. And when it is…the passion will spread
like wildfire!
5. PASSION COMES FROM WITHIN:
The word enthusiasm comes from two Greek
words:
“en” meaning “within.”
“theos” meaning “God”
So the literal meaning of the word is “God
within”
To be enthusiastic (or passionate) is to be
inspired by the God (little g or big G) within you.
The key to being passionate about the right
things is to have the right “God” as priority in your life.
Excitement is a result of what’s happening
outside of us. Enthusiasm / Passion is a result of what’s inside of us. It’s a
reflection of our heart.
It’s why the writer of Proverbs wrote, “Guard
your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (4:23)
Jesus accurately expressed it this way, “Your
heart will be where your treasure is.” (Matthew 6:21)
You’ll be passionate about whatever it is you
treasure most. You’ll put your treasure into whatever you’re passionate about.
And whatever your primary passion is…will influence every area of your life.
As believers…our hearts should beat for
Jesus! Jesus was the most passionate person who ever lived. And now…His Holy
Spirit is living inside of you! And He is still just as passionate as He’s ever
been! And because He is: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out
of his heart will flow rivers of living water!” Passion is an inside job!
6. PASSION CAN BE CULTIVATED:
Enthusiasm…Passion…like any habit or skill
can be cultivated!
If you don’t nourish your spirit…your heart
will grow cold and passive towards the things of God. And may I suggest
this…The surest way to cultivate passion…keeping your enthusiasm for God
boiling hot is to find a way to serve Him and serve others. I’m serious. Find
someplace…someway…to do more than sit…and you watch…your passion will begin to
boil over.
Romans 12:11 (TPT) - “Be enthusiastic to serve the
Lord, keeping your passion toward Him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the
Holy Spirit and let Him fill you with excitement as you serve Him.”
FEW FACTS WE
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LAZINESS:
1.
Working hard is first a mindset (and so is laziness). [Proverbs 10:5; 15:19; 22:13; 26:13, 16].
2.
Working hard and staying on task is a matter of self-control.
[Proverbs 16:32b; 25:28].
3.
Love what you do as a vocation, regardless of what it is. Ask God to grant His blessing and favor in
your work (cf. the account of Joseph in Genesis 39). [Proverbs 12:11, 14b;
28:19].
4.
Don’t work so much, however, that you need to re-introduce
yourself to your family. Strive for a
healthy balance between your work and your family life. [Proverbs 13:11, 25;
15:16-17; 23:4-5; 24:3-4].
5.
Treat your work (house cleaning, school work, or whatever it is)
as though you will reap a harvest from your labors. [Proverbs 20:4; 27:18,
23-27].
6.
Don’t work only in order to receive. Rather, find satisfaction in simply doing
good work for God and men. [Proverbs 3:27-28; 12:26; 21:25-26; 24:21-22;
25:21-22].
7.
Lazy people often assume that others owe them a handout (whether
they’ve worked hard or not). Don’t fall
into an entitlement mentality. [Proverbs 13:4].
8.
Consider how much more would be accomplished for the kingdom of
Christ if you worked as hard in ministry as you do for a paycheck. [Proverbs
18:9]
9.
If you are a lazy person, or if you tend toward laziness in
certain areas of your life, confess your sin to God. Whether at home, at work, or in ministry,
admit to God that you haven’t been working as hard as you should (He knows
already) [Proverbs 28:13].
10. Ask God to
give you opportunities to become a hard worker, and then look for Him to answer
in every realm of your life (home, work, school, ministry, etc.). [Proverbs
6:6-11; 24:30-34]
11. Abandoning
laziness and growing in diligence means you must be controlled by the Holy
Spirit. Here are some practical steps
you can take: [Proverbs 12:24, 27; 31:27]
a. Ask the Spirit to make you a hard worker for God.
b. Read, re-read, and even memorize the proverbs that pertain to
both laziness and work.
c. Trust God to overcome any bad habits you’ve developed regarding
work and diligence.
d. When you are tempted to be lazy, seek the Spirit’s help in
prayer and remind yourself what the Word of God teaches.
CLOSING:
You were meant to live with passion!
You weren’t meant to live a stagnant…passive…passionless
life.
We serve an extraordinary God!
We serve a God for whom there are no
impossibilities!
We serve a God who makes a practice of doing
exceedingly abundantly above and beyond what we can possibly dream or imagine!
And
YOU are called to be a reflection of HIM!