I was recently listening to a sermon excerpt from Paul Washer. If you’ve never listened to Paul Washer preach, you should. This is a man who preaches with passion, and soaks his sermons in sound biblical theology. As this man preaches, you can tell he has a heart for the gospel. In this particular sermon, he was talking about a time when someone asked him, “How do you have such passion for the things of God?” They wanted to know where this passion came from. What Bible study, devotional, or prayer do you use to stir up these affections? You must be doing something…and I want that something. I want to do whatever it takes to ignite my passion for Christ. Washer’s response was striking to me. There is no devotional. There is no written prayer. There is no system or pattern of spiritual disciplines. The joy of the Christian comes in remembering one simple thing. It comes from feasting on the fact that He saved me! 

The great joy and passion of the Christian for the gospel message lies within the message itself. Think of the Psalms, and the songs of Moses, David, Mary, and others throughout Scripture. As God’s praises fall from their lips, they remember what God has already done for them. Consider all these psalms:

“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.” – Psalm 77:11

“Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered.” – Psalm 105:5

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that You have done; I ponder the work of Your hands.” – Psalm 143:5

The song of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 32 follows this same pattern, as Moses remembers and recounts all that God has done for His people. The Christian’s perseverance in the present and hope for the future comes through our remembrance of the past. Why can we trust that what God is doing with our life is for our good? Because of what He has already done! He saved us. He saved me. He carried me through this Christian journey, and He has not abandoned me. He will not do so now. He who was faithful before will be faithful again.

There is no room for works-righteousness in the Christian faith. It is God who begins the act of faith, sustains it, and completes it. We do nothing to gain any favor in God’s eyes. Every small movement of growth is through the mighty hand of God (1 Cor. 3:6-9). Our joy and our passion come from God. It is by His working in us that we experience these things. Why, then, would we think that we can do some act of our own to increase our passion for God? We don’t do, we remember. The great joy of the Christian is not found in any particular Bible study, devotional, prayer, or worship song. These things can certainly be used to stir up our affections and shape our hearts. God commands us to do them because they are good for us. But we do not rest in these things. We do not rely on these things. We do not look to these things to bring us our joy and passion. These are works. And in the life of the Christian, there is only one good work that truly matters: the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The Christian walk is not an easy one. It’s a walk that comes with its many highs and lows. Sometimes, it feels like our joy has faded. Our passion seems lost and on the inside we feel spiritually dead. The fight against sin is weak, the heart for justice is cold. Unfortunately, the Christian life is not one of a constant “spiritual high”. But when the passion is at its lowest, don’t be afraid. Pray that God would bring back that zeal for His Kingdom. It’s a work that only He can do. Feast on the Word of God as our daily bread.

Even when the passion is not there, we must continue to lean into His Scripture. But don’t ask for a devotional to bring back your passion. Don’t be frustrated when reading your Bible and morning prayers don’t instantly reignite your heart for the gospel. Instead, just remember.
He saved me. There is not greater joy than this.

Andre Hunter