What is your burden?
What is your vision?
What is your passion?

I would describe a burden as something that is deep down inside of you. It is something you think about, worry about and are deeply concerned about. It is something God has put there.

God can also give you a vision of something He is calling you to embrace. It is something in the future. It is a possibility of something bigger than you are.

Passion, according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, is "an extreme, compelling emotion; intense emotional drive or excitement." I would describe it for those of us who are believers as something we are really excited about doing for God.

What ... has God put inside of you?

What has God put in your heart? Has he given you a burden for a certain problem, group of people, or situation? What are you doing about it? If He put it there, shouldn’t you be responding? Paul had a burden for newly planted churches. He said in describing his challenges and sufferings, "besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:28 NKJV)

When it comes to vision, most of us remember the great message of wisdom, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18 KJV) The Spirit's leading is a critical part of your destiny in God. (Galatians 5:25) The Bible says that Paul followed the vision God gave him: "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." (Acts 26:19) We too want to go the way the Spirit leads and God's Word reveals, rather than simply setting out on our human wisdom, which can be misguided. (Proverbs 14:12)

When it comes to passion, doing God’s will can be as exciting as it can be challenging. Fulfill your destiny in God. Enjoy the excitement of serving Him. Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10 NKJV) Paul reminded Christians in Asia, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. " (Ephesians 2:10) Oswald Chambers wrote, "Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point — a great crossroads in our life. From that point we will either go toward a more and more slow, lazy and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest — our best for His glory."

New Year’s Resolutions are good. Getting out of debt, losing weight, and spending more time with your family are all good goals. By now, however, many folks have already lost interest in their resolutions. However, as you pray and listen, what burden, what vision and what passion has God put inside of you? Pay attention to that burden. See how you can walk in obedience to that vision. Enjoy the passion of knowing that you are doing what God put you here to do!

 

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© 2005 Mike Barres.

Title: "Burden, Vision, and Passion"
Author: Mike Barres
Publication Date: January 09, 2005

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, "Celebration of Discipline" explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith.

Mike is a pastor and writer for a number of online publications.

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