Over the years I have been blessed to know and work with thousands of people. Never have I met two that were exactly alike. I have two cousins who are identical twins and are extremely different. There are some people that I gravitated to more than others. Some individuals do things with a passion, they are not afraid of working hard and they really seem to enjoy what they are doing. These are people that have fun and enjoy life. It has nothing to do with looks, how wealthy they may be, or how they were raised. In fact, many are just as average as an average person can become.

Typically, most people that I have known appear to struggle with life’s problems and circumstances. Seldom do I see laughter and a passion for living life to its fullest. I must admit that passion and joy can be hidden. Within myself there is a different person than you may see on the outside. I hope that is true of others. Too many Christians seem to live an unhappy or possibly an uninteresting life. Inside I have that joy and peace that comes from faith and trusting in God’s promises.

If we were to ask a person why they seemed to be so grim, they probably would answer, “If you knew the circumstances that I am going through you would find it difficult to have a positive attitude.” Yet, the Bible is filled with illustrations of individuals having far greater difficulties than we have but, seemed to be filled with joy. What made them so different?

The Bible tells us the greatest commandment is to love. I recently wrote: the more we love God the more we have a tendency to pray. The least amount of time we spend praying indicates a less amount of love we have for God. And the more we love God the greater are our chances of loving others. According to Scripture when we are to be judged by God it will be by how much we love. Why is love so important? The result of our love will come the passion so desperately needed to succeed and the joy that is the basis for living life as God intended.

Philippians 1:3 – 4 – “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,” (NLT) Paul has a love for the Philippians and thinks of them often. He finds it a joy to pray for them. Again, how important is love? It is apparent that our passions and joy in life come from our ability to love. If we love what we do it is easy to become passionate and enjoy what we are accomplishing. The majority of employees I have witnessed worked because they needed a job to provide for their needs. Did they have a good sense of humor? Did they appear to enjoy life? Did they have a love for their job? Did they have a passion for what they were doing?

So who is it over the years that we remember most? We are attracted to those who we would like to emulate. They live life to the fullest, have fun and are full of joy. Shouldn’t we as Christians be these kinds of people? It is those who we will always remember the most. Yet, if you have lived as a Christian for any extended period you probably find many sad and pessimistic Christians. Have you ever wondered why? It is likely that they have allowed circumstances to determine who they are rather than striving to become Christ-like. If we live as the world lives we can take on the world’s image. Thus, the consequence of living as the world lives is to see all of the negatives and problems that evil presents and become a part of it. What benefit would that be, when in its place we can have passion and joy.