Dedicated or Passionate?

It’s one thing to be dedicated to Christ. It is quite another to be passionate about Him and loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. Anyone can be dedicated to anything and be loyal. But just because we’re loyal to someone or something doesn’t mean that thing is first in our heart. 

Many dedicate their lives to the Lord at a young age. I was eleven. I was twelve when I surrendered to full time Christian service. Though I wanted to serve God, He was not my chief passion most of the time. I did not spend time in His Word and prayer like I should have if I were passionate about God.

How does one become passionate about God, though? Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind is a command in Scripture. It is the will of God. First, we can pray for passion for God because we know it is His will that we will love Him most.

Next, we should talk to Him for long periods of time each morning. When we’re in love with someone we cannot get enough time with them. We’ll talk for hours on the phone with them or just delight in their presence if we are there with them in person. But we usually talk a lot!

Thirdly, we should read His Word because that is how He can speak to us and change our hearts. This is how we know His will. It is through His Word. His Word is a Living Book. It has the power to change and to quicken, to energize our desire for Him. He leads us. It was through His Word that He made all there is. Thus, we should long to read it’s powerful words to transform us into His image and make us useful vessels for Him.

We can do all these things mechanically because we know we’re supposed to read our Bible and pray every day. But how we do it makes all the difference.  Our attitude and our purpose, our desires going into these actions make all the difference. If we are seeking to be holy, clean from our sin, He will convict us so that we can come boldly before His throne with our petitions.

One of the most important aspects of spending time with God I had missed for years (aside from much more time with Him) was worship and meditating on Who He is and what He can do. It transformed my life and made me a more stable person. It deepened my love for Him in a dramatic way.

Let us Love the Lord our God with all our passion and run after Him more than we race after anything else in our lives. May passion for Him drive our every step.