“Then His disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: ‘Passion for God’s house will consume Me.’” (John 2:17 NLT)
Passion is a multidimensional issue. There are those in our world today who are very passionate about evil, and it’s no wonder. Satan is extremely motivated to take as many people to hell with him as possible. Yet, we can never lose sight of the passion of the Lord Jesus, who relentlessly chased evil to the Cross to open a way to God that not even Satan can close.
The word translated “Passion” in the verse above is the Greek word “zelos” (dzay’-los) and is the word from which comes our English word “zeal.” It speaks to the fierceness with which ideas and their resultant behavior grip our lives and seem to force us to move in a given direction.
We see it in sports, in politics, in demonic habits, and yes, in religion, as evidenced in what’s taking place in Israel as I write. We should love and serve Jesus with passion, with holy zeal, but not to the extreme that we hurt people in the process. Our love and passion for Jesus should translate into compassionate concern and caring, coupled with appropriate efforts to point those in our spheres of influence to eternal life that is found only in Jesus.
Unfortunately, in our efforts to please the Lord we tend to lean in one of two opposite directions: we can become obnoxious in our desire to make Christ known or, on the other hand, we can become apathetic, believing “surely, someone else will tell my friends and loved ones about Jesus.”
So, where’s the balance? Is there a middle lane on which we can travel as earnest and sincere Jesus followers? For me it’s a daily battle. There are days I could lay around all day and accomplish nothing of eternal value if I let myself, but as Pastor Craig Groeschel wrote: “Apathy makes excuses. Passion finds a way.” So, the question then becomes: “How passionate am I for Jesus?”
It’s hard to imagine how we got this way, but our world is coming apart at the seams. People aren’t getting better, but worse. The innumerable ways people invent to do evil can be very discouraging and there’s a part of each of us that wants to give up and just let everyone fend for themselves. Then I read Isaiah 59 and it was as if the Lord spoke to me with a neon sign!
The world since the fall of man has always been heading in a very wrong direction. That’s why the pathway to hell is wide and the pathway to heaven is narrow. But it’s also the reason we, as Jesus followers, should determine that as long as our lungs have breath, we will share Jesus with whomever will listen.
Please don’t be discouraged as you read about or listen to all the things going on, even in our own neighborhoods. Neither should you bury your head in the sand, but in God’s holy Word. Drench your spirit with the passionate words of our Savior, the words of the writers of the Bible across the centuries, determined to make a difference in their generation.
And above all else, spend time sitting, kneeling, walking – in whatever manner works best for you – in the presence of your heavenly Father and listen carefully as He guides you into passionately giving every ounce of your being in service to Him.
I’m reminded of the poem by C. T. Studd that includes the lines: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be, If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 