Passion Defined

This week I have been able to get away from the regular routine of life and attend a regional conference with my family. The time has been incredible as God has really just chiseled, chipped, broken, molded, shaped and refined my heart in ways I couldn’t even imagine! It seems that through the past several months, it’s been difficult for me to be passionate about my relationship with Christ. In my heart of hearts, I have found it difficult to seek and find fulfillment and nourishment in my times spent with the Lord. I would read God’s Word every day and yeah I could talk about what God was doing in my life and what I was learning new, but I didn’t sense completeness in Christ. When you aren’t filling your life totally with Christ, you open yourself for discouragement and I guess that’s where you could say I have been in my personal life during the past several months. This week, I’ve been able to read books, spend time fasting and praying, and really just eliminate the distractions of everyday life and let God speak to me. As I’ve been able to spend hours in deep thought and meditation, God’s given me a new appreciation for the place in life that He has me right now. I’ve noticed that my distracted faith has really stemmed from a discontentment with where God has me. The hopes and dreams of a young man are many as he grows and struggles and sometimes I have a tendency to let myself get wrapped up in where I’d like to be as opposed to being contentment where He wants me. God uses the different times in our lives for different reasons and the Lord has had to correct my attitudes in more ways than one! This week has helped me see that God has me right where He wants me!


Another thing that has really been good this week is the fact that I’ve been able to spend time talking with my parents and just “re-connecting” with them. My relationship with my parents is better than I could ever hope for, but it never hurts to keep communication lines open! I’ve really been realizing the great treasure that I have in my parents lately. It seems that as I get older there are more and more things for which I desperately need their counsel and insight and yes, even correction!

As I finish up this brief, rambling update, let me just leave you with a thought that the Lord has shown me during this conference. One of my major focuses this week is being content where the Lord has me in life and one aspect of that is being a servant to those whom God has placed in my life. One of the speakers (Mr. Dulin) spoke last night about being servant-minded and an analogy he gave really struck home with me in how we are to minister to those around us. I like to think of myself as a helper; I like to think that I can help people and that people can benefit from what I have to say or think. But the Lord really showed me that my attitude really only amounts to pride! Christ didn’t call us to be helpers, He called us to be servants. When you have the mindset that your job is to “help” people, you tend to look at others as in a lower position than you are, which leads to pride. But, if you try to serve people, it places you lower than they are so that you have to reach up to them in the love and service of Christ. God has shown me that I don’t need to worry about helping people because what I have to offer in and of myself isn’t the best God has; I need to strive to serve them and pour out the love of Christ Jesus which is what has the true power to change hearts and transform lives.

May God bless each of you as you strive to serve Him and one another!

To an Audience of One,

Joshua