Topic: Let God Focus Your Passions [RICK WARREN Devotional 27 April 2021]
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Let God Focus Your Passions
“Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together.”
Revelation 3:20 (GW)
God gave you a heart, and he has placed in you passions, desires, and dreams. But unless they are under his control, they will be misused and abused—or lie dormant and wasted—in your life.
All around the world, millions of passionate people are misusing and abusing their interests and ambitions. And it breaks God’s heart. That’s why, in spite of their talent and passion, those people are unhappy. When your passions are misused, it makes you miserable.
You might be thinking, “I’m not really passionate about anything right now.” You know what that means, don’t you? It means you are disconnected from God. You cannot be connected to God and dispassionate. When you are plugged in to God, it’s like plugging in to a power supply. You get passionate!
God is a passionate God. The only reason you have emotions is because you’re made in his image. God is emotional. God gets jealous when he sees you ignoring him for something else. God loves you with an everlasting love. And no matter what you do, he will always love you. That’s passion!
When you spend time with God on a daily basis and get plugged in to his passion, you can’t help but be passionate yourself. You start to develop God’s heart for the world. You start to feel the way he does. Who you hang out with really does make a difference. When you spend time with God, you become more like him.
Would you like to have more energy and enthusiasm? The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words en theos, meaning “in God.” When you get en theos, you’re going to be enthusiastic. The closer you get to God, the more energy, vitality, and passion you will have in life. The further away you get, the more bored and apathetic you become with life.
To get closer to God, you’ve got to open your heart to him.
“Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together” (Revelation 3:20 GW).
Jesus Christ has been standing and knocking at the door of your life for a long time. He wants to come in and help you use your passion in positive ways. But he’s a gentleman. He’s not going to bust the door down.
You’ve got to open it up.
- How do the people you spend time with and the things you spend your time doing make you more or less passionate about God?
- What are you passionate about? How can it bring glory to God?
- What changes in your schedule might help you prioritize a quiet time with God every day? Why is this important?