Day #31

Ephesians! For the 5th and final reading through - yes it's the last quarter of the 40 day fast, time flies so quickly indeed.

And this week's theme, in line with the church, is about passion and position. What are the things we are passionate for? And more importantly, how are we positioning ourselves in order to nurture that passion?

Chapter 1 of Ephesians places rather heavy emphasis on the fact that all of us have been predestined by God - our lives have been plotted out by Him even before we existed. But knowing that, being predestined for something and having the passion for something are completely different.

Consider this : A well known rich doctor is about to retire. He has left a legacy so rich and so fruitful for his young son to pursue that as long as he goes down the same path his father did, he would not even have to worry for the rest of his life. Yet, what if the son has no interest in medicine? What if he wants to become a lawyer instead? Or, maybe a musician. He might have been predestined to be a doctor by his father but does not have the passion to do so.

It is worth nothing, however, that God's ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts higher than our thoughts, and His plan and purpose for us is always the best, for He wants nothing but good things for us.

Which leads us back to the question I asked earlier in the 40 days : are we living for ourselves (having passion for the things that we want, the things we feel are important) or are we living it for God (being passionate about the things of God, being a man after God's own heart) ?

Needless to say, it is often always easier to give in and live for ourselves, for that gives us the most satisfaction - our passions and the passions God wants us to have might be startlingly different. And only through discernment will we be able to realize that our passions are often too narrow minded - our Father has something much bigger in mind for all of us!

Listen to God, tune out the desires of your heart, of your mind, of your flesh. What passion is He calling you to today?

Prayer : Dear God, I confess we sometimes do not realize the extent of the greatness of Your plans and purposes for our lives. We pray we will always strive to seek You first even while pursuing our passions, and that You stir up the fire in our hearts, that we will be aflame for You, and for the things that You take pleasure in, o Father. Help us fix our minds on You, that we might not stray from the path You have made our feet to walk down. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.