“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV.
Passion is misdirected when priorities become confused.
My thoughts and comments today are about, “passion and priorities.”
Life is best lived with passion. A marriage weakens as passion lessens. Achievements diminish where passion suffers. Friendship and fellowship lose their luster as time and activity together becomes less important. Spiritual life and growth decline when priorities are misplaced or passion wanes. Most people don’t intentionally choose the cooling of ardor but without care it just happens, often without intent or notice and in the smallest of ways. Passion is misdirected when priorities become confused.
Have you ever felt challenged by the conviction of the Holy Spirit to “keep it real” in your daily walk with God? Such a holy passion is not normal to your nature, nor easy to sustain in the surrounding culture. But that is the only way you will truly know God in a depth of experience that is releasing and transforming. When Jesus began to speak of sacrifice and His suffering, John noted that some no longer followed Him. When Jesus questioned His disciples, Peter was quick to answer, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68 NIV. Choose to remain unashamedly passionate about Jesus Christ.
Jesus cautioned the church of the ancient city of Laodicea that He would prefer they were, “either hot or cold.” Lukewarmness is never a viable, tolerable option. Read Revelation 2:13-19 NIV. How could this have happened to these loving, Christ-followers in contrast to what had previously been true of them? Their passion waned exactly because they envisioned themselves “rich and increased with goods, having need of nothing,” foolishly content and self-satisfied. Revelation 2:17.
Writing to the church at Ephesus, Jesus praised their zeal for matters of righteousness, but judged their loss of passion in their love for God. “You have left your first love . . this is what I have against you: you do not love me at you did at first” Revelation 2:4 NKJV/TEV. That happens more easily than we know and more quickly than we may realize, with tragic result. Read Revelation 2:1-7 NIV.
By commandment, Jesus established that such wholehearted love for God is non-negotiable in His Kingdom. Your supreme love for God must be “with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” Mark 12:30. Notice the absolute inclusiveness of Jesus’ words – loving God with everything you are and have in every area of your personal resources and ability.
Regrettably, there are seasons in all of our lives when lesser passions compete for our focus and energies. Career, hobbies, sports, travel or such matters can very well distract and preoccupy our attention. With a growing life experience and wisdom, your faith, marriage, family, and friendships will shape your priority and passion. The great and holy passion of our lives should be, “to know [Jesus] in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death” Philippians 3:10.
My prayer for you is to let your heartfelt devotion to Christ inspire and excite others.
Christian Communications 2016
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