Friday, April 5, 2013

April 5, 2013

Good morning all-

I hope today finds you well.  I have been thinking a great deal about passion.  It started before Easter and has continued to rattle in my brain.  It could only mean that's what God wants me to talk about, right?  Well at least that's what I'm thinking anyway.

If you ever look at billboards, which I love to do, there is one in particular that has always caught my eye.  They are inspirational billboards with key messages like; perseverance, fortitude and passion.  They always end with pass it on...

The story of Jesus is the most powerful inspirational message in the History of mankind and yet, often we don't pass it on.  What did Jesus do for the Jews?  What did He do for the Gentiles?  And if we are really secure in our faith, what has He done for you?  Guess what, He gave His life so that we could have eternity.  That's more inspirational than anything I will ever contribute to this life.  Now don't get me wrong, there are people and stories that we should find inspiration in, like Paul, Peter, John and all the disciples.  Mary and Mary Margaret were very significant and there are others that fought with their lives to free slaves and make black men free.  We have powerful role models that set the tone of History and they should not be forgotten.  Lincoln, for example, is a very important part of US History but he was just a man.  Thousands of books have been written on him and now movies are being produced but there's only one man that should be held in the highest esteem and that's Jesus Christ.  He was God made man and He is the reason for every drop of rain, every car driven, every invention that has made our lives easier and every blade of grass.  Think about that for a minute.  Now those things should definitely be passed on right.  No, we take them for granted.  We believe we control the earth and all its resources.  Fools!  We control nothing but Jesus does and He is waiting for us to find our passion, not in ourselves but in Him.

I'm going to be changing jobs on Monday and I have to say, I'm scared to death.  Why?  Because it's the biggest risk I have ever taken in my entire life.  I'm about to become a leader and mentor of others.  It has been a dream for many years and the door has opened and I'm walking through it.  I have a passion for people and a passion for sales and I hope the two combined make me a great leader not just another bad manager.  The key to my success will not be the books I read or the hours I spend investing in others, it will be my prayer life and putting Jesus in the driver seat.  I will need His wisdom and power in every aspect of my life.  I will need to serve others without letting them walk all over me.  I will need to instill the principles of the Bible and ask God to help me live up to them and I will need to trust that God will make each of us successful as I give my life to Him.  My passion for Christ must be seen and I must abide in Him, not myself.  The reason why so many people lose passion is because they try to do it in their own strength.  We weren't made to do anything that way.  If I want my environment to be infused with passion and excellence, I must seek the Lord daily and have Him direct me.  That's the only way I will ever be a leader of men.

So, if today you are struggling to find your passion, look for Jesus.  More than likely, you lost that passion before the other one even fell.  Somewhere down the line, you thought you could propel yourself and infuse yourself to succeed because of a feeling and now your drowning in the abyss.  It's time to ask Jesus to restore in you a new heart and give you the greatest passion of all, Him!  If that's restored, everything else will surely fall in place.  I'm testing it out right now but without Him, I am nothing and I know it.  So if we don't do anything today, let's pass it on that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and we will trust in Him!  I'm going too.

PS Please pray for the North Korea crisis.  There are many innocent people that are being affected by one very demented leader.  Our sisters and brothers live in North and South Korea and we should not stop praying.   This is an attack that will have devastating and cataclysmic results all because one man doesn't seek Christ.  Thanks in advance for your commitment to God's people.

Romans 7:5-6 NKJV:

     For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Romans 8:25 NKJV:

     But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Pass it on..

My prayer today:

O, Lord, You are the leader of great nations.  You founded the earth and placed each person exactly where You needed them to be.  We have planes, trains and automobiles that can take us to the ends of the earth.  You have placed Your soldiers in strategic areas and even though they grow weary, You are near.  Our passion must not be misguided.  We must look toward You for every thought, every direction and every circumstance.  If You aren't in our sight, we will surely fail.  In our daily lives, we must come before You and ask You to be part of our passion.  You have taken the steps to breathe in us purpose and passion so unleash it Lord and give us the power to be passionate about You.  When we first found You our passion was great but other idols get in the way.  May we set a goal to come to You daily and ask You to guide our hearts and our steps toward You.  We must live with integrity but that's hard to do in a world full of corruption and wasted time.  Give us the fortitude and perseverance to stand up and run the race like Paul, to the end with love and devotion to You.  We come before You now asking You to protect the weak and help advise the reckless.  Please Lord, cover South Korea and the innocents that live in North Korea will Your crown of thorns.  Help us all to unite to pray for a tiny nation with a unwise leader.  Come to Him in a dream and reveal the power of the cross.  We are asking that Your hand be on Korea and its people and in any country being led by an unwise leader.  Make us people that are consistent, full of faith and give us passion.  We hope to pass it on to other generations and to be wise all our days.  For with wisdom comes a true sense of who we are in You.  Abide in us today, guide our every move and bring us close to You.  In Jesus name, AMEN

Until tomorrow...

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