Discover God's Dream For You By Jennie AllenSample

Threads of Passions (Part 2)

Passions have become nearly synonymous with pleasures in modern culture. But when we consider passion is originally defined as the moment of the deepest suffering of Christ for our good, it lifts the word from human desires to a monumental love willing to suffer.

William Wilberforce knew his passion. He resisted it, but this passion held him captive as a young man, nearly at the same time he became completely captivated by Jesus. He met God and wanted nothing more than to begin vocational ministry; he was convinced this was the best way to serve God. But the passion that kept him up at night, that had him pacing floors and banging tables, was the unacceptable injustice of the slave trade in England.

His minister, John Newton, a former slave trader, enlightened him about the horrors of slavery. William was haunted. God had given him a gift for communication, the empathy of one who had suffered, a position of influence, and a deep, lifelong friendship with the prime minister of England. He was faced with a need too awful to ignore. A dozen or more threads, ordained by the hand of God, were slowly assembling into a great calling.

Finally Wilberforce’s friends convinced him that God could potentially use him most as a politician. He ran headfirst toward the thing that haunted him. It was painful, and most of his life was spent before there was any reform.1 But at some point William’s passions turned into a calling. When that happens, the cost becomes irrelevant.

Every one of us who knows Christ has a calling for our lives. William Wilberforce and Joseph aren’t especially epic, they just gave their lives to the problem of their generations. We could do that too. The problem is we don’t naturally have passion for others. We are naturally danged selfish.

But when we were bought by Christ, we exchanged our heart full of self-seeking passions for things on this earth for God’s heart. And now we share his passions. Our hearts are new, and now what was cold and hard is soft and full of compassion, led and moved by his Spirit.

It is a privilege to use our passions to participate in the work of God. What is holding you back?

Respond:

What needs have you experienced or observed that have moved you?

How could you use your passions for God’s glory?

Adapted from Restless Bible Study Guide by Jennie Allen