Living Life from Accomplishment to Zeal
David Jeremiah
If someone looked at your life, what would they see? An attitude of
hope, enthusiasm, and energy, or a chin perpetually on your chest
in a posture of resignation and defeat? Are you the kind of person
who spells "life," p-a-s-s-i-o-n, or the person who, when asked to
define "apathy," says, "I don't know, and I don't care?"
No verse in the Bible better expresses the passion we should have
for life than Colossians 3:23-24: "And whatever you do, do
it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the
Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve
the Lord Christ." In these two verses we find four handles
by which passion may be seized on a daily basis: the scope,
strength, secret, and source of passion. This passage can
become a Passion Principle for you as you go "from Accomplishment
to Zeal" every day.
The Scope of Your Passion Note that Paul says, "whatever you
do...." I don't think Paul meant whatever only in a spiritual
sense, such as praying, singing, studying the Bible, and
witnessing. Do you know what the word "whatever" means in the
Greek? It means "whatever!" Everything we do in life should
be done heartily as if we were doing it for the
Lord.
Are you that excited about your life? Don't make the mistake of
dividing your life as a Christian into a "sacred" part and a
"secular" part. All of the Christian's life is sacred-your
spiritual life, your work, your hobbies, your entertainment-and
should be done heartily as unto the Lord.
The Strength of Your Passion Do you have a sense of God's pleasure
in all you do in life? Paul says that whatever we do-teaching,
running, plumbing, "lawyering," preaching, parenting,
"businessing," - we should do it "heartily." Do it with heart!
We ought to be lion-hearted about life, attacking every day
with the strength and vigor which comes only from the Lion of
Judah, the Son of God Himself. That is the strength we
have been given.
The Secret of Your Passion The secret of the Christian's passion is
simple: Everything we do in life we do it "as to the Lord
and not to men." The passion we put into any project or
activity in life is a good reflection of how we esteem the One for
whom we work.
Paul said, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to
please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a
bondservant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10). Knowing that we serve a
Savior who gave His all for us should ignite in us a passion to
give our all for Him-whatever we do.
The Source of Your Passion The source of the Christian's
passion is "the Lord Christ" whom we serve. All great
developmental leaders say that it's impossible to impart passion to
anyone. Instead, the challenge is to discover the passion that is
already within and build on it-fan it into flame and make it come
alive!
You've probably seen the popular slogan, ,Carpe diem, on posters
and bumper stickers. It's the Latin phrase, "Seize the day," or
"Make the most of the day." It's not bad advice, but seizing the
day without seizing the Source of the day is like grabbing for air.
Instead of Carpe diem, try Carpe deum - "Seize God" - and
don't let go! He alone is the source of true passion for all you do
in life.
People are trying everything from A to Z to find reasons to get
excited about life today. But if you are a Christian, you can live
from "Accomplishment to Zeal" with genuine passion every day. Make
Colossians 3:23-24 your Passion Principle for the coming year and
see if it doesn't change your life-and your world as well.
This article was excerpted from Turning Points, Dr. David
Jeremiah's Devotional Magazine. Call Turning Point at
1-800-947-1993 for your complimentary copy of Turning Points.