OUR PASTOR’S HEART
My brother, John, asked me a while back, “What’s driving your life these days?” The question was about passion or motivation for my activity. I was surprised that it was so hard to form a respectable response. The answer seemed obvious … love for God, a heart for the lost and the desire to be rewarded by God are my basic motivations. But what am I really passionate about? Further pondering led me to these conclusions: We are responsible for our passions. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:36-39) Love is a passion gained through obedience. Even when we are passionless or misdirected in our passions, we are ultimately responsible. Our passions follow our investments. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) The things that I work for, pay for and spend time thinking about are likely to capture my heart. I need to invest wisely to have passions worth following. How can I discover what passions are worth investing in? God’s Truth should define our passions. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (I Peter 2:11) Just because we are passionate about something, doesn’t make it good. God warns us that some passions are destructive. We cannot always trust ourselves or “follow our hearts.” God loves it when people are passionate about the right things. So what’s driving your life lately?
Pastor Steve
|
|