David wrote, ‘I felt a fire burning inside, and the more I thought, the more it burned, until at last I said: “Please, Lord, show me my future.”’ (Psalm 39:3–4 CEV) Passion is like fire; unless you feed it and stoke it, it will die.

Question: on a scale of one to ten, how wholehearted are you about serving the Lord? Before you answer, think about these Scriptures:

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV)

‘Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart.’ (Psalm 119:2 NIV)

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’ (Proverbs 3:5 NIV)

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.’ (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

‘Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.’ (2 Timothy 1:6 NIV)

‘“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.’ (Luke 8:39 NIV)

‘Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.’ (1 Corinthians 14:12 NIV)

‘To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.’ (Colossians 1:29 NIV)

‘Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3:13–14 NIV)

All these Scriptures can be reduced to one sentence: be passionate about what God has called you to do.