Passion.

Thursday, September 23, 2010
Passion. It’s a word so often used to describe the love between two people. You hear people say that someone is “passionately in love.” I guess it’s fitting, but have you ever stopped to think about the passion that God has for us?
Real, authentic passion is a motivator. If someone is half-hearted about something, if they don’t feel up to it they’ll quit. We’ve seen that as true in relationships, jobs, ministries, even marriages, as sad as that may be. It just seems as though if someone’s heart isn’t totally in it, they’re eventually gone. But if someone has passion, real passion, you can’t run them off if you try.
It seems as I look at the cross that’s the word that comes to mind the most. It was God’s passion for humanity that sent Jesus there. No matter how great the Sacrifice, He wanted our sin dealt with so He could have fellowship and relationship with us, not just here but forever. And the Sacrifice was great, don’t miss that. For all eternity past (don’t think about it too long, it’ll make your brain hurt) God the Father and God the Son had been together. He was there at creation. He was there through all the Old Testament stuff. He was there. And now, look at the cross. He’s there, too.
The difference is, on the cross He doesn’t look much like a mighty Creator. On the cross He doesn’t look much like a King of kings or Lord of lords. On the cross He looks beaten, bloodied, carrying the heavy weight of the sin of all mankind, past, present, and future. He almost looks defeated. But just hold on. That won’t last long.
They buried Him in a borrowed tomb. After all, He’d only need it for a few days. And just as He promised, 3 days later He got up. Come on, I hope as you read that you at least bounced a bit in your seat. I said, HE GOT UP! He wasn’t defeated! The King of kings and Lord of lords got up! And because He got up, we can have victory over whatever comes our way, even death! His passion for us was greater, even than death. That’s good stuff. But what about us – are we returning the favor?
After He got up He appeared to a couple of disciples on the road to Emmaus. In the last chapter of Luke, they said after they realized it was Him and He was gone, that their “hearts burned within them while He was speaking to them on the road.” That, my friends, is passion. To have a heart literally on fire. And the recipe for that passion? Let Jesus talk to you. And the way we do that? Talk to Him (prayer), and let Him talk to you (His Word.) Do we want to be dry and dead, or do we want passion? I, for one, don’t want to just be smoldering embers. A wild fire is more what I had in mind…

PS: Please pray for the Pruett Family as they prepare for Jake's funeral on Saturday morning.

That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake

This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com