Passion and Thoughts

Do you have a passion? Maybe you have a passion for art, drama, a particular sport or sports team, an activity or person. You might even feel somewhat apathetic.
It's true that no matter what we're passionate about, we will spend a lot of time thinking about it. How many times have you stayed up really late to watch your favorite team play? How many hours did you spend making that piece of artwork or that short story or that skateboard trick or that song on your guitar just perfect?
But listen to this: John Piper writes: "Nobody had a more single-minded vision for his life than Paul did.... One thing matters [to Paul]: Know Christ, and gain Christ. Everything is rubbish in comparison to this." (pg. 48, Don't Waste Your Life). The Apostle Paul's passion in life was knowing God. Piper urges his readers to adopt this same, single, life-changing passion, to make it the forefront of our lives.

Elsewhere, John Piper writes that with the single passion and goal of knowing Christ, resisting temptation becomes easier. There is less time to think about the lusts of the flesh if one's mind is filled with thoughts of God, knowing him, and rejoicing in his work. That is why Philippians 4:8 tells us to think about the admirable, excellent, praiseworthy things in life - because they come from God. See, sin starts in the thought life. If we don't stop the immoral thoughts when they first enter our mind, if we dwell on them, they becomes sin. Don't let that happen! Keep your mind on God and his majesty!

The point I'm making is that having pure thoughts and living a God-centered, God-passionate life does not begin with me saying "Okay, this is what I need to do to please God. This is my battleplan, this is my to-do list." It begins with having a passion and living passionately for God - something I cannot do in my own power. I just can't. That's why the possessed boy's father exclaimed, "Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). He couldn't believe fully because he was human - and neither can we. We have doubt. But give it to God!

It's funny to me that the life of a believer is asking God for help to praise God. But this shows that we need God - that we desperately need him and desire to passionately fall in love with him.