WHAT FIRES YOU UP? | Northstar Church

“David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!” – 1 Samuel 17: 45- 46.

What gets you going? In other words, what motivates you? What captures your interest or stirs a passion in you? What inspires you to cook if you are a chef or spend hours designing a building if you are an architect? What gives you the inspiration, energy, and motivation to do what God has called you to do in this life?

Passion is what energizes life. Passion gives you a reason to get up in the morning and say, “I’m going to do something with my life today.” Without passion, life becomes routine, even dull. We all need passion in our lives. The question is what are we passionate about? And secondly, is what we are passionate about going to leave a legacy?

Romans 12:11 (NIV) says, ”Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Notice the word “keep.” It is not automatic, it is a choice. It has nothing to do with either your personality or your age. It is about having an intense desire to serve others and to serve God.

Of all the wonderful stories in the Bible, the story of David and Goliath is one of the most popular. Just imagining David — a young boy — loading a small stone into a sling and stepping onto a battlefield. By earthly standards, David was woefully unprepared to engage Goliath. The Bible says Goliath was over nine feet tall and covered in more than 100 pounds of armor. Not exactly shaping up to be a fair fight.

What motivated David to risk his life? Goliath told Israel that if any of them would fight him and win, the Philistines would become Israel’s slaves (1 Samuel 15: 9). It sounds like a pretty good deal, fight and win, and Israel will have slaves for years to come. But if Goliath won, the future liberty of his people was at stake. But there was something more, something greater that moved David from the sidelines to the frontline. In 1 Samuel 17: 31, we read that the king called David to hear his story because David said that Goliath was mocking Israel, which means he was mocking God. Goliath was taunting and shaming the one true living God. The honor of God was at stake, and that could not be ignored.

Enthusiasm or passion isn’t passive. Being passionate about something means you’re going to do something about it. Passion results in action. As you develop a closer relationship with God, your passion will grow, and as it does, making changes in your life will naturally follow.

So, how are your enthusiasm and passion? Are you filled with excitement and purpose? If not, today’s the day to begin pursuing an increase in passion. God is filled with so much passion for us that He deserves nothing less than whole-hearted passion from us.

Discussion Questions:

When and why did you first fall in love with Jesus? In what ways has your original love for Christ faded? How can you rekindle that flame?
What activity or idea may be replacing your enthusiasm for the Lord?
What can you do to deepen your enthusiasm for Christ this week?