A Passionate Love

Today I picked up my flute and played it for the first time in a year. Though I was overcome with disappointment when I wasn't able to play nearly as good as I did last year, I also was humbled. I realized that my passion took practice that was a roller-coaster over the years. When I first started playing I had this overwhelming passion to learn and be amazing, however, a few years into playing I didn't want to work for it anymore. I went from practicing an hour a day (multiple times a day) to 'forgetting' my flute in my locker so I didn't have to practice. As I was reliving my passion that I once had all over again, I realized that our relationship with Christ is so similar. We start out our relationship with Him wanting to know everything there is to know about God, Jesus and the Bible, then a few years go by we start 'forgetting' to do our devotions, or we 'run out of time' to pray. Trust me, I'm just as guilty. But it shouldn't be that way. We, as Christians need to make it a constant effort, fight, passion everyday. We need to look at what it is that is keeping us away from this passion, this love for our Savior. Over-booking ourselves? Self-mutilation? Focus is elsewhere? Pornography? Netflix? I could keep going, but we will end the list there. Anything that is pulling us from the works of God are works of the devil; We have a choice, give into him or to keep fighting for HIM. Paul, in 1 Corinthians, literally beats his body into submission, "No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" 1 Corinthians 9:27. Paul craved a passionate relationship with our Lord so much that he refused to be a slave to his own body, but he was determined to make his body a slave to him! Now, I'm not saying that every time you want to watch Gilmore Girl's on Netflix to pull out your baseball bat and to start beating yourself with it. No! I'm saying that we should have the mindset of Paul. We should be willing to take it to extremes to make our body our slaves (whether that means no Netflix for a while until you are focused on Him or it means that you need to not take a second look at that hot Hollister model). We should be willing to do whatever God wants us to do to bring our eyes back to Him. "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." 1 Corinthians 6:19. We. Are. Not. Our. Own. Plain and simple. Point. Period. Therefore, it should be honoring to our King. With honoring our King we are able to love Him passionately, whole-heartedly. "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:24. We can never get to a passionate love with Christ if we don't focus all of our heart on Him. My passion and joy for my Savior should be greater than my passion and joy for my flute. Or any music that I play for that matter. What should you be just as passionate about in our King?

River Flows in You (Yiruma) By Bevani (Flute Cover)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nioSbpxlDzY&list=RDbe1jJCH32OU&index=4

Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."