Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Matthew 5:6

Nobody ever really succeeds at anything for which he does not have passion.  To make it to the top, there has to be a burning desire, a willingness to pay the price of study, perhaps loneliness, and certainly a tough-enough hide that what others think doesn’t really count.  Whether your interest is—doing medicine, making money, succeeding in a given sport, or living for God—, without a passion for what you want to do, the flame goes out, and the journey becomes too arduous and difficult.

Uzziah became king in Israel at the death of his father at age sixteen.  He learned quickly, and had a great heart for God.  Says the writer of Chronicles about this man who reigned for fifty-two years, “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.  He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success” (2 Chronicles 26:3-5).

Simply put, this man had a passion for God, and as long as He did, God made him to prosper.  Question: Is the search for God endless?  Does it become a maddening quest for something that can’t really be achieved?  Like climbing a mountain that has no peak, or a race which never ends?  Or a story which has no conclusion?  Some think so.  Long ago, however, God went on record letting us know that when you make finding Him your passion, your desire will be satisfied.  Says Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So what does that really mean?  OK, put it like this.  You don’t develop a passion for anything overnight.  At first you are intrigued with something.  It’s a mild curiosity, but it is strong enough that you want to know more.  Let’s say, for example, you are somewhat interested in photography. You admire beautiful pictures.  But gradually your interest goes beyond just looking at photos taken by others and browsing through books about photography.  You want to be involved personally.  So you move from a throw-away camera to a single-lens reflex camera.  You get better pictures.  Then you want to develop your own so you buy the equipment.  You still don’t know how to use it so you take a class in photography.

But you don’t stop at this level.  You go to a photo exhibition and talk to a renowned photographer who says, “Why don’t you shoot some with me?”  You are thrilled and become an understudy, learning from the artist who knows his stuff.

Frankly, developing a passion for God goes through the same steps.  For many—perhaps yourself—God is somewhat of an unknown curiosity, a kind of emotional security blanket to help get you through troubled times, but far from being a passion which consumes you.

Moving from the acquaintance with Him to a level of personal knowledge means you begin to get involved in studies and for the first time in our life, you spend time in the Word.  It begins to come alive.  You understand it.

Don’t stop there.  Read men as A. W. Tozer, C. S. Lewis, J. I. Packer, Oswald Chambers and others.  Better yet, spend time with mature brothers and sisters who have a passion for God, a burning desire to know Him and make Him known.

A closing thought.  Someone who has a passion for birds never allows his detractors to keep him from the thrill of identifying a rare species or enjoying the sound of a meadowlark on a summer morning.  Don’t worry about what others think of your passion for God.  Never forget that a fanatic is really someone who has a greater passion for God than you do. Think about it.

Resource reading:  Jeremiah 29:1-15