Pace and Passion

If you are going to have a passionate life and be who you want to be, you must pace yourself for the long haul.  Life is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash.  The Apostle Paul wrote:Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

A passionate life requires a lot of energy.   It's important to plan times to be quiet.  You need alone time.  For some of you, the best thing that you could do this week is spend some time by yourself with no cell phone, no PDA, no Internet and no music.  Take with you a Bible and a note pad.  Allow God to speak to you.  Write whatever comes to your mind.  Allow God to replenish your soul. .

You will never experience true passion if you are constantly running here and there.  You must pace yourself. Let go of the things that are holding you back.  Be realistic about your schedule.  Establish some priorities and reorder your life.  You will find what you've been looking for and you will become the person you want to be.

Calvin Miller wrote in his book The Table of Inwardness about an antique wooden dynamite box in his home.  The box was made in the nineteenth century and it was carefully constructed to withstand shock so that so the explosive contents could be transported from the manufacturer to a place of use.On the lid were large red and black letters that said, DANGER DYNAMITE!  He said that the last time he saw the box it was filled with common paraphernalia.

The box is like a lot of us today.  We are created to be spiritually passionate people, filled with the energy of God, but instead of having spiritual dynamite inside, we are filled with common everyday stuff.

If we are going to be who we want to be and be the people God wants us to be, then we have to empty ourselves of the junk that has cluttered our lives and ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit.