Passion
Passion is an intense emotion, a compelling feeling or an enthusiasm for something.Passion is an eager desire and interest in or admiration for a cause or activity. It is a great love for someone or something.Since the fall, man is born with a greater consciousness of self than of GOD. This is the consequence of sin that separates us from GOD.
The centre of all our problems is self.. that is, I, Myself and Me and that is our flesh. Physical passions are natural but if they are uncontrolled and disorderly, they lead to sin.
Passionate living begins when this self is given for a particular purpose and is driven by a cause or goal in life. We observe individuals passionately playing and even watching and following sports. Others terrorizing and killing others and killing themselves for a cause more important than their very lives. Many others giving their time, energy, talents and skills for money. Some others giving their all to gain a name in competitions, to get their names into the guinness book of records or gain fame as a celebrity.
As long as self rules in me, I live for myself and there can be no passion other than a fleshly one. Passionate living starts the very moment I take a hold of myself for a purpose and a cause beyond myself.
The more focussed I am with one purpose, the greater the passion for that purpose. As I progress in that path, I will give my all, my everything, towards achieving that purpose. Every thing of great value becomes lower in value compared to that purpose that has now become the greatest passion of my life. The purpose which seemed the best for my life, which I chose for myself, and I first took a hold of, wilfully with my mind, now starts to take hold of me until it becomes the passion of my heart. Now it is beyond my mind. My heart is set aflame by this passion. My ‘I’ is taken over by that purpose for my life and I ‘Pass - I - On’ to that purpose!
Am I living with a passion? Are you living with a passion? Life is not worth living unless it is lived with passion. The self centered life is boring, confusing and not interesting. It is anything but joy that propels you out of your bed in the morning. The day drags on. You feel tired and drowsy although you have not worked hard enough and not stayed up long enough. Even when you get to bed there is no fulfilment about the day’s work and your sleep is not sweet. The cycle goes on day after day.. unless and until you find out that purpose for your life.
When you do find out, make a wilful decision to follow that path unless you aren’t yet tired of your mediocre life.
Take your time to consider carefully the path that you are about to choose for your passion. You need to make sure that it is worth your life. It costs everything you have and everything you are. You have to be sure that the path ends in victory. How would you know?
This passion is usually picked up from someone else. Observe your hero. He will be your forerunner. You have to keep your eyes on the forerunner, imitate him and follow him. Do not embark on your journey until you have observed his end.
JESUS set the perfect example and is the model for passionate living. The climax of the passion of the CHRIST was the cross. His gruesome death was followed by His glorious resurrection! It was worth the pain because the end is eternal victory for Him and for all of mankind who would choose His purpose and path!!
- We need to put away the sinful passions of our flesh.
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
1 Corinthians 7:9
but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Romans 1:26-27
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
- We have to diligently choose the path we want to passionately follow.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
- We can observe and follow our Hero. His end is victory!
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
- We can imitate those who followed the LORD JESUS with passion. The apostle Paul lived with passion for the wrong cause. When the LORD JESUS met him, he turned around to live with passion for the cause of CHRIST!
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
- Now he exhorts us through his letters.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
- The LORD JESUS Himself not only instructs us but also set the pattern for us to follow.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
John 19:17-18
And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.
- The LORD not only set a pattern for us, He also enables and empowers us.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
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