A Heart Ignited with Purposed Passion

God created every believer with purpose, passion, and a calling that extends far beyond themselves. This Christian devotional explores how a heart ignited with purposed passion presses forward in pursuit of Christ and His Kingdom. Rooted in Philippians 3:12–14, it encourages believers to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, pressing on toward spiritual maturity and Christlikeness. Highlights God gives every believer passion with a purpose Spiritual growth requires perseverance, not perfection True passion flows from devotion to Christ Scripture fuels zeal and keeps our focus on Jesus Letting go of the past frees us to press forward God’s grace sustains us when passion feels weak Christlikeness is the ultimate prize we pursue Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today. Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. https://trinitycredit.org Full Transcript Below: A Heart Ignited with Purposed Passion By: Emily Rose Massey Bible Reading:“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV). What excites you and drives your passion? Being made in the image of God means that we all possess a unique passion. The vital question we must ask ourselves is: Is my passion directed inward, or does it fuel me to pursue Christ and His purposes? Our drive and passion for the Lord and His Kingdom are closely tied to our devotion to Him, revealing our purpose of knowing Christ and serving Him. Most of all, reading and studying the scriptures should fuel our passion because it sets our eyes upon the Lord and helps us take our eyes off of ourselves. What motivates your drive towards Christ? For the Apostle Paul, it was the prize of the upward call of God: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV). Intersecting Life & Faith: We can remind our hearts that if we are born again, Christ purchased our lives for a purpose and has made us His own. He did this so that we would bear fruit for His glory. Christ reached down and rescued me, so I should always be reaching for Christ. We press on to know Christ relationally and serve Him faithfully, and we must press on even more when we feel weak. We can look to Christ and ask for strength to keep going, and He will be faithful to give us His abundant grace. We shouldn’t be entangled by our past sins, sorrows, or even successes, as these things will distract us and hold us back from pressing on in our pursuit of Christ and His purpose. If you are lacking in passion regarding the things of God, perhaps you can write down some temptations and convictions regarding distractions that may be draining your zeal for the Lord. It is easy to become entangled by worldly pursuits, but God’s grace is available to us to turn away from anything that would keep us from running hard after Christ. May the Lord give us zeal and an increased pace and an increased engagement in Kingdom pursuits as we press towards the prize. Ultimately, Christlikeness is our prize. Let us seek the Lord and ask Him to increase our passion to become more like Him! He is faithful to give us more zeal, especially if our aim is that He would receive all the glory, not ourselves. Are you reaching for the upward call, longing to become more Christ-like in your pursuits and in the fruit of your life? What worldly pursuits might be hindering you from being conformed to the image of Christ? Let us not resist the call to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Our flesh is weak, but we must trust that we can find strength ...