Three years ago, I was the most on fire for God than I have ever been. No matter how much time I spent digging deep into His word or how much time I spent in His presence, I was never satisfied. I was always left wanting more of Him. During this time, I would accidentally stay up all night reading my Bible. You might be wondering how that’s possible, and I don’t know either. What I do know is this: I would sit down to read and stop when my alarm went off in the morning. I’m grateful for that time in my life, and I am thankful I know what it is like to be on fire for him. So what’s the problem? The problem is the passion faded, and I wanted it back. It’s been three years since I felt the passion that I once had. That’s three years of wishing for something I once had. That’s three years of being a lukewarm Christian.
One day as I was talking with a friend about this, I realized I could get this passion back. I didn’t have to stay wishing for the passion I once had to return, but I could take action to get it back. I had been praying for God to give me the same passion for His word back, but I wasn’t diving into His word the way I was before. I could continue to pray for God to give me a fresh passion for His word, but I could also start reading the Bible the way I was when I was passionate about it. There’s power in prayer, and our prayers move God, but sometimes our prayers should move us to action. This is what I was lacking: action. I had been reading my Bible, but it didn’t look the same as before. Reading was more of a chore and something to cross off of a checklist than something I was looking forward to and desiring.
When I was truly passionate about the Bible, I would think about the next time I could read. If I was having a bad day, all I was thinking was, when can I open my Bible again? During this time, I was reading commentaries, handwriting Scripture, asking questions, and discussing what I was learning with others. The passion I once had for the Bible came from a place of humility and realizing that I didn’t know as much about the Bible as I thought that I did. Realizing how little I knew, I started to read more and learn more. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. Researching the Jewish roots of Christianity, the context of the Bible, and the way passages are connected to one another was exciting. Every time I read, I learned something new. I was never bored when I read the Bible. So, about a month ago, I started to do these things again, and the passion returned. I want to learn everything that I can about the Bible. It’s amazing how the seemingly minute details of a passage add such depth and meaning to it. There’s so much more to a passage than what’s on the surface. Reading the Bible is never boring, but always exciting.
In the past, when I was passionate about the Bible, I was passionate about learning. I wanted to learn more for the sake of having more knowledge. Having grown in intimacy with the Father, I want to learn to understand His word. I want to understand His word to understand His character and His values. His character is unchanging, and we can learn more about him in the pages of the book He has given to us. He is the same God now as He was then. If we understand what God values, we can better understand the intentions behind His actions. And if we learn what He values, we can apply that to our lives. I want what God values to be what I value. If God values humility, I want to value humility. If God values compassion, I want to value compassion. If God values life, I want to value life. We can learn what God values through reading His word. Our values drive our actions, meaning our values will be revealed in how we act. Therefore, God’s values are revealed in His actions. To value what God values, I must first know what He values. I learn what God values by reading His word.
I don’t want my passion to fade like before. I want a lasting passion for His word. As I learn more about Him through His word, I want to grow in reverence for Him. I want to be amazed by who He is and how good He is.
