Passion

Live Today with Passion!

 

One of my favorite coffee mugs bears the quote above.  It was given to me by one of my students, and so I love it even more for that reason.  It always reminds me first thing in the morning that God is not so much interested in our beliefs, but in our Passion.

 

Jesus took on our flesh to restore Passion to lives that had been burned out through abuse, suffering, discouragement, disillusionment, or rejection and abandonment.  The woman at the well, the lepers, the woman caught in adultery -- all had little or no hope left for real Passion.  They were existing, but not really tasting life to the fullest: "I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly," said Jesus, reflecting the deepest desire of the Father toward us.

,

The Prodigal Son evidently left home seeking adventure.  At home, he had everything except excitement.  He craved 'passion' in his life; he wanted 'something else,' so he set out to find whatever the world had to give him.  And he found what the world offered--abuse, indifference, hostility, "friendship" that was only revelry for the moment.  He found himself alone, in a pigsty, craving the food that his father's servants ate for free. 

 

When he returned to his father's house, he discovered the very thing he sought--passion.  From that day on, he could live his life with gratitude and thanksgiving for safety, for provision, for love and acceptance.  All these things previously had seemed routine, boring, without passion -- but now, he knew what it meant to live each day with joy.

 

Jesus said, "I have come to cast fire on the earth, and what would I but that it be kindled!"  The deepest desire of his heart was to share with us the fire that burned without cease in his bosom.  God wants children who burn with the fire of His own love, those whose spirits go out to all the earth to restore justice, to right wrongs, to heal the sick and sorrowing, to gather the homeless and to feed the hungry.  He wants children with His Spirit, with His Passion.

 

And it can happen!  Yesterday, I wrote that God is a "Verb," a word that expresses action or state of (dynamic) being.  We are not supposed to run out of energy because life beats us down every day, every moment.  The very etymology of the word 'enthusiasm' is 'en-Theos,' or "God within."  His Passion in us propels us forward with love and joy.  If people only knew the heart of God, the heart of Jesus Christ to restore ZOE, LIFE, ENERGY to a world that has gone dry, they would run to the Source of Living Water. 

 

If our "beliefs" do not fill our hearts with joy, if our cups do not run over on a daily basis, our religion is in vain, for we have not yet met the Living God Whose Passion fills the earth and the hearts of those who come to Him.