I have become increasingly aware of my need to be more passionate in my life. And by passion, I mean my passion for Jesus Christ.

Several years ago, I was challenged to begin journaling as a key discipline in my spiritual life. Over the years, this has taken many forms. One of the more exuberant efforts was a journal I put together with several different categories, such as Bible reading, Bible study, memorization, prayer lists and forms, and more.

Now, each of these different disciplines were crucial, and I still believe that they are. But attempting them in that fashion did nothing but discourage me, and many of them didn’t last long.

Regardless, I still felt, and still feel, the need to become more passionate in my walk with Jesus. But how do I do that?

What I didn’t understand then, and have begun to learn now, is that discipline, for discipline’s sake, will never be effective. Discipline needs to happen in order to draw nearer to God.

I think our spiritual life is a lot like a tree. What you see on the surface, above the ground, is only a portion of the tree itself. Most of the time, there is just as much, if not more, underground as there is above.

And what happens underground determines what occurs above. If the roots are set deep, and connected to life-giving nutrients in the soil and to water, then the tree will grow. If not, it will die. If the tree is rooted shallowly, then the first time a hard wind blows, it will fall.

But if the tree is rooted well, and receives the nourishment it needs, it will grow strong and produce good fruit.

Our spiritual lives are exactly the same. If we want to develop passion, we must be rooted deeply, and connected to the source of all nourishment, Jesus Christ. That is the only way we will grow.

Many of these disciplines have been discussed here before. One ongoing series is called Establishing Spiritual Disciplines, and in that series, so many of the critical spiritual disciplines are examined, to see how we can better implement such habits into our lives and grow in our passion for Christ.

I firmly believe that our disciplines, our habits, are critical for spiritual growth. The process looks something like this:

1. My beliefs determine my thoughts.
2. My thoughts give rise to my attitudes.
3. My attitudes contribute to my actions.
4. My actions build habits.
5. And my habits establish my character.

I want my character to be all about passion for my Lord. I want people to be able to see just how much I love Jesus, just like I want them to know how much I love my wife, and even more. I want to be passionate for Jesus.

And that begins now. It begins today.

Question: How do you pursue your passion for God, and cause it to grow? You can leave a comment by clicking here.