Our Passion Is Our Priority Series

Our Passion is Our Priority

Welcome to week two of the “Summer of Passion Series.” Passion is an extreme excitement, a deep devotion and a longing love for something. God would desire that we would be passionate about him. Jesus tells us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” We are passionate about God when we love him with all our being.

Last week we learned [see part I – A Fire of Passion begins with a spark of change] that when we can sometimes get stuck in routine, habit, or monotony in our personal lives. We need to rekindle our passion. A Fire of Passion Begins with a Spark of Change. We must make changes in the way we live our life especially, if we get in a rut in our spiritual life.

This week we will see that what ever our Passion is, so will be our Priority. Whether your passionate about fishing, hunting, the San Antonio Spurs, what ever our passion is, so will be our Priority.

What do I mean? Last week something happened to Amanda [my wife] and me that I am a little personally embarrassed about. We were on our computer working on our financial budget. It was the first of the month and already we were in the red. Can you relate to that? Amanda turned to me and asked, “What are we going to do?” Joking around I said, “Well I could go and get a second and third job!” I turned my attention back to the computer screen and continued working trying to figure out what we could do. Then I was convicted because my wife got up from her chair, went to the bed, grabbed a pillow and put it on the floor. She motioned me to join her in prayer. We both got on our knees and prayed.

Why is it that when times get rough and tough many times the last place we go is to our God? All things are possible through God yet many times he is our last priority. Where ever our passion is so will be our priority! I mean we have a ringer, who can help us yet we leave him out of the game of life.

Growing up, I played little league baseball. There was this one kid who just could not hit the ball. I mean it was so bad that if it was two outs we just started walking to the dug out because we knew he would strike out. But, I don’t know what happened over the summer, but this little guy learned how to hit the ball. It was amazing. The next year, he became a super star. 9 out of 10 times when he went up to bad he would hit the ball over the fence. He became our “GO TO” batter. When he got up to bat and we had two outs, we began walking the bases because we knew he would come through. He was our sure ringer.

In our lives, we have a ringer. We have a “sure thing,” yet we leave him on the bench. Instead of putting God first when times get tough we turned to him, later if at all. What ever is our passion so will be our priority.

I believe Scripture talks about this so I would like everyone to turn to Matthew 6:19 through 33. We are going to skip around a little bit but I would encourage you to go back and read the parts that we will hop over.

Matt 6:19-21

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What Jesus is talking about here in this excerpt from Matthew is about materialism. If you ever want to show that Jesus is still relevant today then look at scriptures like these. I know all of you would agree that materialism is still a problem today as it was back then.

Jesus tells us that don’t get caught up in material things, and especially don’t make them your priority in life. Materialism can be a pitfall to many people, but as these scriptures say, they will eventually corrode and fade away. Only things from God are eternal. So why would we make material things of the world our priority when we could have things that last?

But focus on verse 21 for a second. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” When I came across this verse it gave me goose bumps because this was God’s way of saying where your passion is so your priority will be. God wants to be our passion and our priority.