God Uses People with a Passion for Him

By Jon Walker

“‘My wayward children,’ says the LORD, ‘come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.’ ‘Yes, we’re coming,’ the people reply, ‘for you are the LORD our God.'” (Jeremiah 3:22 NLT)

When was the last time you hungered for God, wanting intimacy with him so badly you chased after him with abandonment, desiring God so much you’d follow him through the desert and through an empty and barren land (Jeremiah 2:2)?

If you’re like me, you may be thinking, “God, I don’t think that kind of love is humanly possible!”

And if you’re thinking that, you’re right. Only with Jesus within are we capable of loving God with the supernatural mystery of his own love. God is able to change the desires within you; he is able to rekindle a deep, devoted love within you.

If you’ve lost your passion for God, the way to get it back is not to try harder until you somehow reach that level of love. The way back is to trust God’s promises to bring you back into deep devotion (Jeremiah 2:2).

God will forgive our prodigal nature; he’ll cure us of our lethargic faith. He says, “My wayward children … come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”

And our response should be, “Yes, we’re coming … for you are the LORD our God” (Jeremiah 3:22 NLT).

Talk About It

• How would you describe your passion for God?

• If God will cure our lethargic faith, what keeps us from returning to a deep passion for God?

 

Jon’s new book is Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.

Jon is managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Hope Devotionals and the author of Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship.”  This devotional © Copyright 2013 Jon Walker. All rights reserved. Used by permission.