Day 3

Passion 

John 15:1-8: 

Take a moment to ask God to meet with you today, then reflect on these verses by reading them a few times

""I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes a so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." 

"Passion is what makes life interesting, what ignites our soul, fuels our love and carries our friendships, stimulates our intellect, and pushes our limits." Pat Tilman 

Where does your passion come from? What is the source of leadership? 

Jesus clearly acted out of his passion for people and the world, but where did that passion come from? In these verses He explains that true fruitfulness in life comes from being connected to the real source. Ultimately Jesus' passion came from God, His Father. He and the Father were one, so closely linked that what was on God's heart was on the Son's heart toot. In John 5:19 he says, “...the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” 

Jesus knows if it was true for him, it would be even more so for us. He tells his followers in these verses, if you want to be fruitful in a lasting way, remain connected to me, get your passion from me. This is where true passion for the things that matter come from. As focus on growing our passion for Christ, for the things of God, he will grow in us the right passions! 

Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This does not mean God will always give you what you most desire. Rather, as we focus our hearts and minds on God and learn more about Him - what He is passionate about, what He loves, what He pursues - the more His passions and desires become the passions and desires of our heart. 

Our first priority toward clarifying our individual passion and vision is to grow our passion for God and to ask Him to give us His heart and form the passions of our heart. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom...and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Q&A: 

Questions for reflection: Jesus said in Matthew 6:21: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What is your"treasure" at this time? What would your friends say you are most passionate about? Do you agree with them? How do you feel about it? 

Action to take: Identify 1-2 things you could do this week to grow your passion for God. How can you remain connected to Him?