The more I read the New Testament, the more I find that passion is an essential element of discipleship. Without passion, our faith could be seriously questioned.

Psalm 1 gives us an excellent image of what it means to be deeply rooted, to be spiritually passionate. In verse 3, the psalmist says:

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

This image of a tree is a perfect illustration of what it means to develop passion in our lives. The roots have to go deep, or there can be no production of fruit. In this psalm, the tree is planted strategically next to a stream of water, and it is rooted deeply enough to receive the nourishment it needs, and to prevent it from being easily uprooted.

This is exactly what we need to do in our lives. Passion and discipleship require us to be both strategic and solid in where we plant ourselves.

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.