Passion. Daily Devotional - January 11, 2010

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 12, Matthew 11, Nehemiah 1, Acts 11


"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don’t care much where," said Alice.

"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"–so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat.

–Lewis Carrol’s "Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland"
　
Nehemiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible. When I struggle with which direction I should go in life, Nehemiah reminds me to follow the passion God has put in my heart. Without passion we are like Alice in Wonderland, knowing that we need to go somewhere but lacking a passionate direction. We will end up somewhere, that is definite. Without following passion we could end up everywhere except God’s best. When Nehemiah heard about the walls of Jeruselum he responded with passion:

(Vs. 4) "As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven."

I am concerned when someone is in a relationship but they lack passion. I am concerned when someone chooses a career path but lacks passion. I am concerned when someone claims to be a Christian but they lack passion. One can write it off as a personality difference, but I have seen even the most introverted of people come alive when you finally find out what it is they are passionate about and begin to talk about that.

There are times and seasons when we will unavoidably have to do things we aren’t passionate about but when we are faced with the major life decisions we must factor in that burning desire that God has put in our hearts. Nehemiah was shaken about Jereselum and it drove him into his destiny: what shakes you? What makes you cry, weep, pray, fast, laugh, overjoyed, excited or on the edge of your seat?

Don’t just settle for somewhere, follow your God given passion and you’ll wind up in God’s best.

Thanks for reading,
Mel

Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 13, Matthew 12, Nehemiah 2, Acts 12