A PASSION

Passion, an item that burns up everything that is in its way is found in successful people, I wish to share about passion today in a sermon format that I have shared during chapel period in my college.

I wish to show you something exciting, something that all of us have it, but only few of us dare to use it. This is a video clip from the movie “Facing the Giants”. The video talks about American football, a sports game that not only talks about brute strength but tremendous mind power as well.

Here is a link to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyPkUXGq1S0
or
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=b170b9474a8be66b5a8b

Now, the message is very clear to all of us right? The never give up spirit, some of u even watched this movie over and over again for many times! But this is not what I wish to share today, there is more to not giving up, the very root of not giving up is none other than PASSION!

Passion is defined as strong extravagant desire for something, in other words “enthusiasm”. Now, why do I want to talk about passion? This brings me to point no.1

1) Passion produces focus
The Couch is handsome, at least to me, but he also knows that he need to stay focus on what he is doing, not getting distracted by words of discouragement! Do you know he is at the verge of being fired in the movie?

You see, people that do everything are jack O’ trades, they are the people that easily get distracted. We call them the “cincai” people! If u thinks that cincai people can be successful please don’t raise your hand.

2) Passion produces energy
As the most influential player in the team, Brock admit lost even before the game, just by doing so he saps dry all the hope and energy from the team!

Allow me to introduce 4 types of people to you,
A) Very resourceful people (they ignite the passion of others!)
B) Very important people (they share their passion with others!)
C) Very trainable people (This type of people they catch the passion from others and do it! And most of us belongs to this group!)
D) Very nice people (This group of people is amazing, they enjoy our passion and saps it dry, leaving you tired and worn out, losing your confident. Do you have friends like that? You are not very nice people right? Right? Look at the neighbor beside you and say you are not very nice people)

3) Passion produces productivity
The passion is the thing that sets the team on fire to win the game, still remember maybe 5 years, 10 years, or even 30 years ago, we are holding a lollipop in our hand telling our parents all kinds of thing we want to do in life, of who we wanna be, of what we can be?

Where is all those passion gone? Is it truly gone or we just forgot the fire we once have, overcome by situations that stresses us up, the circumstances which constrains us, and maybe the wall of trouble that we face, and perhaps even, we doubt ourselves. People with passion don’t live life aimlessly and wait for things to happen, people with passion MAKE THINGS HAPPEN! Ask yourself, where and what is your passion?

4) Passion produces growth
How many of you think that they won the game in the end? Most of us that are NORMAL will think so right? And indeed they won, WHY? It is because you have seen the passion in them!

Do you know cincai people do cincai thing? I personally don’t think Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Warren Buffet, or even Mozart and others spend all their time fooling around yamcha and wasting time! Do you know you have limited hours to live? And you know you die after that right? That means something simple, killing time means KILLING YOURSELF!

People often say, you don’t learn from the book you don’t read. If you are saying you are not so smart person, a slow learner, let me tell you something, your book only has limited pages, and they don’t grow and add new pages while you asleep! Please, just stop whining like a baby asking for be fed.

5) Passion produces discipline
Let us look at things this way, if Brock is not willing to listen to the coach, if he is not willing to train, not to mention obeying the order to carry someone that weigh 80kg on his back blindfolded, will he success?

Did you go to national service? I did and I tell you 1 thing I learn the hard way over there, there are some commands that is 100% solid even though it doesn’t makes any sense! If you try to throw all your logic and reasoning to the trainer like me, I’m telling you, you are booking a ticket straight to heaven!

6) Passion is extreme
Do you know even for a professional footballer, carrying an 80kg guy on your back and walks on your hand without knee touching the ground across 50 meter, 100 meter field is extreme?

There is this 1 thing about passionate people, you never see balance in them! Because your balance is unbalance for them!

God is an extreme God, Amen? He sent His only son to die for us, HIS ONE AND ONLY SON! How more extreme can you be to save an ungrateful person?

In bible God say “For God so love the world that He send His only begotten son to die for us!” THIS IS EXTREME!

In bible God does not say “For God sometime love the world, and sometime not, that He may be sending His one of His many Son to die for us? “

Here are some more extreme cool things that God do.
Is feeding 5k people extreme? Not to mention there is still leftovers. Can you do that?
Is raising the dead extreme?
Is rising to heaven in front 12 disciples extreme?
You just imagine the facial expression of 12 disciples when they saw Jesus fly! If you have a poor imagination, go watch superman!

7) Passion gives 999% output
If Brock has given up on the last 10y, 20y, or maybe a few steps before the ending zone, the impact, the encouragement, the power he is giving his team and himself won’t be as strong as he finishes it! He changed the course of history just by being passionate, they just might not win the game if not because of his passion!

Ok, let me put it this way, when you love someone for example your boyfriend or girlfriend, you’ll go many extra miles to fulfill their needs right? Or do you wait until they beg you on the verge of death then you say, maybe… just maybe… I will lend you a hand of mine, but I’m keeping the other hand!

Conclusion
Listen, we often want so many things in life, but God only want our passion, the passion that continuously seeks after Him, God does not gain anything by our work and He is not poor as well, He is the creator of universe! Yet He keep remind us to seek after Him because He loves us, and we are the only one benefit from seeking after Him. If you ever say you are passionate and devoted for God, consider what you have done so far in your Christian years, do you only visit Him only once a week, perhaps once per year, or even never, do you still call that passion?

Can the coach count on Brock?
Can God mold passion into you?

Here is a very short video that is to proof all the things that I have said,
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=16bfb07c7f3bf96d8854