I Just Want To Be Closer.....

Our small group just started a new study by Mark Batterson and so far, I love it. It's based off of his book "Chasing the Goose." It's called (not so creatively) "Chase the Goose" and over the next six weeks, we'll be studying how the "cages" we trap ourselves in (responsibility, routine , assumptions, guilt, failure and fear) hold us back from living our lives freely for Jesus. In the intro, he compares the modern day "caged Christians" to wild animals caged in zoos. He asks, "Have churches done to people what zoos do to animals? We try to take the risk, struggle, and danger from following Jesus, and we end up with caged Christian." While we are busy living in safe, comfortable environments, deep down inside of us, there is a longing for something more. We have traded in the adventure God has for us for our safe and comfortable lives and we are missing out on what God has created us to experience.


How many of us are living out our God given passions? How many of us seek out God's plans instead of our own?


I have personally lived out the majority of my Christian life striving to be a "good" Christian. I went to church, worked to obey the commandments and to posses the "fruits of the spirit," but I was seriously missing God's purpose for my life and I never once thought of my Christian walk as an adventure just waiting to be unwrapped. I praise God for getting my attention with our adoption journey and trip to Africa. I honestly do not know what our lives would look like had we never gone down that uncertain, scary, uncomfortable, and often overwhelming road of adoption.


I expect that I'd still be living my life as a "caged Christian." Why do you think so many of us limit God and His plans for us? I don't believe we consciously do it. I don't believe that most of us would say that we planned on being idle, but the fact is that life (our agenda) gets in the way of life (living for Jesus) sometimes and before we know it, we are so buried under our RESPONSIBILITIES that our God given passions are never realized.


I'm sure that most of us could fill pages with lists of things we are responsible to complete on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. But how many of those things are actually on God's list? How many of those things is God passionate about?


What is your God ordained passion?


Like I mentioned above, I didn't really have one until about two years ago. Now, I can easily answer that question: taking care of the widows and the orphans in their distress and raising up a family that does the same by loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is what I'm passionate about. Not a day goes by that I don't think about a starving or needy child across the world, an orphan without a family to love them, and the hearts of the children in our own home. Mind you, I'm not always living this passion out perfectly, but it's the goal.


When we seek to be in touch with the heart of God, He leads us to our passions. Our God ordained passions. So if you've always wondered what your God given passion is, don't get stuck trying to figure it out. Like Batterson says, finding your passion isn't really about you discovering; its really about God revealing. So start dwelling on the word of God, praying, worshipping and developing a sensitivity to the Spirit of God and He will reveal your passions to you.


When you're given a God-ordained passion, or if you already have one, it's time to act. Pray and prepare for the path God has for you and be willing to step out. Batterson says, "When you step out God will begin to work. I don't know what it may be for you, but you need to do something, and you need to do it now. Don't let what you can't do keep you from doing what you can. Come out of that cage of responsibility and chase the Goose."

I bet that once you come out you'll find that you're more tired of your mundane, responsibility laden life than you even knew and more ready to step out on God's adventure.


My new favorite song-it sums up life on passion-life closer to God. (pause music at top)