another passion zapper!

So I have met a lot of talented people through the years, but never have I seen someone so unhappy and so undriven than a friend of mine a few years back. He was called into teh full time ministry, and had pastored a church in the Carolinas. He worked bi-vocationally at first and then the church grew into a full-time position. He worked hard to keep the church going and eventually it grew from almost 20 to well over 150. At that point things kind of plateaued and as time went by they decided he had done an awesome job of growing the church and leading them to where they were, but it was time to move on. They let him go, and he spent a few years seeking another job as a pastor, working part time jobs and doing construction for a time. He was a fiery, extremely driven person who would sit down and tell you everything you needed to know to live a godly life the moment he met you. But, as time went on he slowly deteriorated, he still spent time in the word, still prayed daily and still attended church in another town. But he just couldn't get it in gear.
He eventually came to the point of depression and decided "he thought" that God just didn't want to use him any more. His passion for the ministry was completely zapped.
1 Peter 4:10 says "Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gifts well."
Every person, each of God's creations has a purpose and a gift. God has given each of us those gifts to use for God to fulfill His purposes on earth. The very second we stop using them (whether by choice, or by force) we lose our passion for them. Nothing can zap passion for God like sitting stagnant and not using our gifts for Him. So think about your giftedness in God, what is He expecting from you and what are you doing to get things accomplished for Him. If you are not using your gifts, you are going to become lazy and eventually be drained completely of all of your enthusiasm for those gifts. SO use them, even if it is in a small way, use them or lose them!
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!