Passion
Passion is amazing!
It has brought out the best in people as they have pushed through limitations and barriers to achieve greatness. We’ve seen this through Abraham Lincoln not giving up, Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, Michael Jordan’s quest to win and Mother Theresa’s willingness to obey God. These people and more have captured passion at high levels, thus impacting the world. These stories are inspirational and motivational. When you focus through passion, phenomenal things can take place.
Passion is defined as “any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.”
Have you noticed how powerful love and hate are? They have changed the world for better and for worse, as people have been rescued and others wiped out as a result of one of these expressions of passion. We’ve all read and studied through history of the heroes and villains who were filled it, leading to life and/or death. Our capacity is immense to carry this passion inside our hearts, determining so much of our lives.
However, God gave us passion for a specific reason.
More than anything, He wants a heart full of devotion to Him, because this is an aroma that fills His heart with joy. His life was meant to be given so that we could give Him our lives. His suffering was in order for us to be healed from our suffering. His pain was for our pain to be healed. He did it all because He had Passion for you and me. This is why our heart is what He wants! He’s not seeking a robot, but a willingness that comes from love and praise in who He is and all He has done.
Our challenge is focusing our Passion on Him!
“But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak His name, His word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!”
Jeremiah 20:9
This is a great picture of passion and what is does within us. Notice the prophet Jeremiah was burning with God’s word and he couldn’t keep it in but rather had to let it out. To me, this is a man of Passion for his God and it changed the world.
What would happen if this Passion gripped you?
Our challenge is to fuel this Passion for God so that we burn for Him from the inside out, lighting up the night with His praise and worship! He is the Hope, Savior and Redeemer of our lives and nothing compares to Him. His love is what we need. His peace is what we need. His power is what we need, and nothing compares to His mercies that are new every morning. His faithfulness runs past ours and His commitment to us is greater than ours to Him. He will never move away from His Word!
Yes, Christ deserves our Passion and all that is in us! May His word burn in our heart and may His love fills us up!
Now, before you say, “This is beyond me,” think about what you have been passionate about. All of us have exhibited great passion toward something or someone at one point in our lives. We have been gripped by it and shown determination in it. You have this capacity right now – it’s just about focusing it toward Jesus.
Have you noticed that it’s not radical to practice sports for hours at a time, get up early and work overtime and make time for love. But when it comes to God, going the extra mile seems strange and too much; however, this is what we have to overcome. No, if we can go above and beyond in passion for something or someone, then it’s normal to go above and beyond for our Christ. May we be filled with Passion for our God!
I encourage you to receive the powerful and compelling emotion, stirring you to love. May you love Him with all your heart, soul and mind giving Him the Passion He deserves.
John Wesley, the great evangelist, was asked, “Why do thousands come watch you preach in the rain?” He answered, “They come watch me burn.”
May people see you and me burn for our God.
Have a great week and the best is yet to come,
PD
