Passion from the Father

Tomorrow is the day. At this time tomorrow I will be arriving at the airport to begin my journey to Haiti. Our team will be flying to Miami on Saturday and then flying out to Haiti on Sunday morning.

This past week has been overwhelming to say the least, but God's presence has been so evident in the midst of it all. On Wednesday, I was asked a simple question - "What has God been teaching you? What has God been doing in your life?" I got to thinking about it and had lots of answers. But one thing stood out...

For many months I have been praying that God would give me passion - passion for the Lord, passion for others, passion to serve. As I look back on the months since I began praying that and seeking that, I am amazed. God has gone above and beyond my prayers and expectations. I read scripture in a whole new way. The Word of God has a deeply-rooted truth in my life that wasn't there before. It's like I am reading it for the first time, and my heart and mind are capivated with the love and truth spoken from our Heavenly Father. How could I have missed this before?! Because my reading of scripture has changed, I look at my walk with Christ in a whole new way. I am called to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. That means everything I am and everything I have is devoted to Christ above any other commitment I may have. I am called to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, to acknowledge Him in all my ways, and He will direct my path. That means I have to push my pride aside, acknowledge my own inadequacy, put all my heart and trust in the hands of God, and recognize that I do everything in and through the Lord. I am called to take up my cross and follow after Christ. That means I leave behind the things of this world, cling to the call God has placed on my life, and seek to live the way Jesus lived. That means I am to pursue Christ passionately and persistently. I am called to reflect and represent Jesus Christ in all I do. That means I must deny my worldly desires and be aware that I am living for something more than fleeting pleasure. That means I must read scripture to know how I can best reflect Christ.

God has answered my prayer for passion. He has given me a passionate desire to pursue Him and a passioate love beyond any I've ever known. I pray that as I go to Haiti that passionate love would spill out of me into the lives of the Haitians around me. I pray that Jesus Christ would begin stirring up a passion in the lives of those in Haiti to love and follow the Lord. I pray that their hearts and minds would be open to our service and the message we bring with us. I pray that the joy and hope we bring will encourage the believers in Haiti that may be struggling, and I thank God that He has grown strong believers in Haiti that are already doing His work and being used as vessels for His glory.