May 27 Thought for the day....a need for desire

A large portion of the call of God on my life is to enable people to become who God wants them to be. If they don't now Jesus, to make sure they are a child of God. If they do know Jesus, to help them fulfill their destiny and purpose. That is why I do this "thought for the day," my preaching, counseling, and mentoring. Paul speaks about the need to desire to be all of this in 1 Timothy 3:1

"This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work."

Paul begins his outline of leadership in the church by using the phrase "desires the position." The word "desire" here means to long for, have a burning desire, great ambition, to achieve something, or become something. Paul begins by saying that someone who is called to be a leader must possess a burning desire to be a leader.

One of the saddest and most frustrating things for me is to see is someone with great gifts, talent, ability, intellect, wisdom, love, or whatever exceptional trait they may have, sitting on it rather than using it. Having lots of gifts but being desireless is one of the saddest things I can imagine.

Not only does a desireless person rob themselves of the intimacy and promotion from the Lord, they could have by fulfilling their call, but they also can drag others down with them. Laziness is contagious but so is industry. We are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, yet the desireless person does none of this. They may, for a season, think about getting involved but thinking about getting involved and fulfilling God's passion for your life are two different things.

Without passion, burning desire in your heart, you will never rise above the mediocrity of life. If we only do what we see others doing, then we will never achieve greatness in our jobs, church, relationships, or lives. People will always want to pull down a rising star, but God has called all of us to shine, and I believe to outshine the crowd of mediocrity. We need the ambition to do better, seek more, to not settle for anything less than God's best for our lives that affect everything from our jobs to our global impact.

It can feel exhausting to go for God's best. It can be frustrating to want to break out of the pack and be better than mediocre. However, desire is the key to fulfilling our destiny in every avenue of our lives. Jesus challenged us with "to whom much is given much required." Every person of faith has been given so much. The same Spirit that raised Christ lives in us. He can give us drive and passion, but we must want to want it first. If you are missing this "desire," don't wait any longer. Ask the Lord, and He will stir it within you. There are many holes in the church because people refuse to rise above mediocrity, but you can start today on the worship team, children's church, coaching, giving, helping, mentoring, using your construction, cooking, teaching and so many other skills that will also help others rise above it!