It’s a conversation I’ll never forget. It was meaningless until it completely changed my life.
My friend and I were going back and forth about a football team. The argument was pointless and had very little if any actual merit from either side, but I loved to argue. I was presenting my position passionately and with precision when he interrupted me.
“You’re so passionate. Whether it’s football, food, music, or your God thing, you’re always so passionate!”
As I heard his words a pit began to develop in my stomach. Suddenly I began to see something I’d never seen before.
The passion with which I argued for meaningless things was actually detracting from the passion with which I shared Christ. It wasn’t that I shared Christ without passion, but when you share Christ with the same passion you use for a football team it negates itself.
I was destroying my witness by giving passion to things that didn’t deserve it.
I realized that I’d been doing this my entire life. I realized that honor is not just communicated through what is given to someone but also communicated in what is never given to someone or something else.
It’s something we understand in relationships. A kiss is only as valuable as its exclusivity. The love communicated through it is not found simply in that it’s given to you. It’s found in the reality that it’s not given to anyone else.
I was giving to meaningless things what should only be given to that which is most important.
It changed everything for me. I have to remind myself of it over and over. I don’t want anything to receive the passion I reserve only for my Father.
I was reminded of that this week. I was reminded because I see many followers of Christ speaking more passionately about an election than I’ve ever heard them speak of Christ. It should make us pause.
Why would we ever be more passionate about something that is so eternally insignificant than we are of the most eternally significant one there is?
Our hope is not found in an election, a president, a political agenda.
Our hope is found in Christ. Our hope is found in the King of Kings, not in any authority that may exist under Him.
We betray our hope when we are more passionate about an election than we are about Him. We hurt our witness when we give our passion to the insignificant over the significant. We communicate to the world that we have no more hope than they do.
Leave behind the fear. You have been adopted into the family of the Most High. Give to Him your passion and communicate ONLY Him with the passion that He deserves!
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