When the Passion seems lost...

I wish that I can say that this has never happened with my life in Christ. I wish that I could tell you that I have always been in love with him and that my life has always been filled with nothing but a passion for him. But there have been times when I am not sure where I am at or what I am doing. Many of the times I forget who I am to God. And who God can be to be when I am reminded of God really is for me.

Brennan Manning shared in his book Abba's Child that to often to are blinded by the earthly version of what we see God as. In his book he tells a story of an old man walking with his nephew. As the sun was setting the uncle started to skip down the road. The nephew stopped him and asked him why he was skipping? He said, "Because, you see my Abba is very fond of me." This man knew who he was and he knew where his life was at in Christ. His passion was right there. Yes MY Abba is very fond of me.

What if you started living in the promise that our Abba is fond of me. Not just that he loves you but that he is fond of you. What a difference maker in our lives. To know that your Abba is fond of you. About two years ago I went through a three week span where I was down and out. I was discouraged and wanted to leave the ministry. Things were not going well and I did not have the passion for ministry and did not feel the passion for my Abba that I remembered. But one morning I was walking with my dogs, while as I was walking I had this overwhelming sense and passion flood my soul. I felt God coming all over me letting me know he was fond of me. I had read this from Manning's book almost three years earlier but the understanding that I was his beloved and that my Abba was fond of me absolutely flooded my soul.

I must have looked like some kind of odd ball walking my dogs and sobbing. I was in tears because I was remembering the passion that He had for me. Mark Batterson in his book, In a pit with a lion on a snowy day, shares that the two ways Satan uses to neutralize us spiritually is discouragement and fear. I know that for me these two things are used very heavily in my life. But because i am aware of this I can keep my eyes fixed on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of my life (Hebrews 12).

SO WHAT? When the passion seems lost, I need to remember "My Abba is fond of me". I can lean on the promise that God is good, all the time. It might not always feel like that, but it is true. God has such a passion for me and he wants to foster that passion in us for himself and for the lost. Remember your Abba is fond of you. The passion is there, let him wash over you.

Thank you my Abba Father for being fond of me...