Passion: February 27, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2013

PASSION

DEFINITION:

Intense emotion; ardent love; zeal; enthusiasm.

SCRIPTURE:

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Passion is one of the most intense human emotions. It is a motivating emotion that compels us to act on it. Passion is usually thought of in a negative way as being an emotion of the flesh and our unredeemed humanism. In order to accept Jesus as our Savior we must conquer the passions and desires of the flesh that are part of our sinful nature.  Paul says that to belong to Christ we must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.

Passion is a positive emotion when the object of our passion is the right one. The great men of faith in the Bible knew what it was to have a passion for obeying and serving God.

Just think of the passion of Abraham as he obediently places his only son, Isaac, on the altar to sacrifice him as an offering to God. There is the passion of Moses as he led the Children of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. David spoke volumes of his passion for the Lord his God in the book of Psalms. Many of the disciples became martyrs because of their passion for the Lord. Passion is, indeed, a motivating force.

Most people understand passion when one talks about the ardent love between husband and wife or parents and children. But to understand passion from God’s point of view one must have a relationship with God. However, most people today are so busy with their activities and pursuits that they rarely think of Jesus until a desperate situation arises.

Believers that know the Lord intimately have a passionate desire to have a continually deepening relationship with Him. It becomes a passion to the believer because it is their top priority, and every possession, accomplishment, or pursuit is worthless compared to knowing Him.

Stop a moment now and evaluate how you are living. What is your relationship like with God? Is it a deep passion or a casual acquaintance or somewhere in between? We need to have the passion of the apostle Paul and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:14.

There are six important steps that a believer must take to grow a deep passion for our Lord. First, you must study the scriptures daily. You begin by reading the Bible daily but take the time to study what you read; God then, through His Word, will reveal to you who He is and what He does.

Secondly, you must be willing and committed to spend time alone with the Lord in prayer, meditation, and worship. Invest this time in prayer and you will get to know God better and He will honor the time you spend communicating with Him.

Thirdly, you need to put your complete trust in the Lord. The depth of any relationship depends on the level of trust. Fourthly, you need to obey Him. Your time in reading and studying the scripture will reveal to you areas where God expects you to obey Him in what He is saying.

Fifthly, take the time to observe how Christ works in your life. By paying attention to how the Lord operates, you will become familiar with His ways and goals. And finally, make Jesus your top priority. Be willing to lay aside anything that competes with your loyalty to Him and devotion to Him.

When you make Christ foremost in your life you will have increasing passion to know Him better. The more we know Him, the more we will mature spiritually. And remember the power of the Holy Spirit flows through those closely connected to Jesus.

Take the time now to develop your passion for Christ and He will give you a new perspective on how He works through you giving you continued victorious living.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 6:1.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

PRAYER:

Help me to look to You daily for Your guidance and direction for me to develop a deep and abiding passion for You. Take away my desires and passion for the things of this world so that they may not rob me of the treasure of knowing You better. Help me to be persistent and to forget the failures of the past and move on to a closer and more meaningful relationship with You.