Passion is an emotion or feeling that is so deep within us and so important to us that it will drive us to protect the thing we are passionate about. It can be a strong love for someone or something. It can even be kindled when there is a strong dislike or hate for someone or something. Very often it will show itself as enthusiasm, such as for a sports team, or when something we’ve been hoping for happens.
God built within each of us the ability to be passionate people. We are created in His image and He is a passionate God. Israel, His chosen people had a problem. They allowed the culture they were in to infiltrate their thinking and their actions. When the Israelites were slaves to Pharaoh, God made a way for them to escape. Many were being influenced by the Egyptian’s ways and gods, and God brought His people out. While in the wilderness God provided everything they needed each step of the way, yet they grumbled and complained. He sent Moses to the mountaintop to receive the Ten Commandments and once again the murmuring started. It was here that God made it very plain that He was a jealous God. There would be no other gods before Him. He was passionate about His feelings toward His people.
Exodus 34:14 “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:’
As we see in the example of the Israelites, our passions can be sinful. In Romans 1:27-28, we see the sin of sodomy. Their passions were clearly against God’s moral and natural laws. Because they chose to disobey God and yielded to their sinful passions, God gave them over to a reprobate mind.
Romans 1:27-28 “And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;”
In I Corinthians chapter 7, Paul is speaking. He is teaching those present that it would be better if all men and women would be like him, devoted to the work of the ministry. He encourages the widows not to marry, but if they can’t contain their lustful passions, it would be better to marry. When he uses the word burn at the end of verse 9, he is speaking of the burning desire that burns within a man for his wife or wife for her husband. In marriage, this is good and proper, but outside of marriage, this passion is a sin.
I Corinthians 7:8-9 “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.”
In the Bible, we are encouraged to have passion, but it is to be directed properly. For instance, in Colossians 3:23, Paul teaches us to do everything we do heartily to the Lord. I am to do whatever I am engaged in with my whole heart so that it is acceptable to the Lord. In I Corinthians 10:31, all we do is should give glory to God. To live our lives this way requires passion. It’s a devotion that comes from deep within us and grows until it shows in our actions. Our desire to please the Lord is all-consuming. That is passion!
Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
I Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Do you have a strong passion to meet the needs of others, especially their need for Christ? We should. That was Jesus’ last command to us before He ascended back to Heaven. We are to feel deeply about witnessing and disciplining others to Christ. Psalm 84:2 tells us to have a strong passion for the Lord. We show that by being passionate about the things that please Him.
Psalm 84:2 “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.”
Can you feel the passion, and the intensity of the psalmist for God in Psalms 42:1-2? Imagine a day when you are so thirsty you can’t even produce enough saliva to swallow. Your body needs water. Finally, you are able to drink a cool, clear, thirst-quenching glass of water. This is how we are to thirst after God. When we rise in the morning, we should be passionate about spending time with Him. When we do, it will be like a drink of water on a hot balmy day. Our souls are to thirst for Him with passion.
Psalm 42:1-2 “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
We exhibit our passions in many ways. We cheer loudly and scream at the television for our favorite sports team. We drive miles to eat our favorite meal, and sit and savor every bite. We do extravagant things to show that special someone how much we love them. We spend great sums of money on the causes we are passionate about. Shouldn’t God get this kind of response from us? When was the last time you felt passionate about your relationship with God? How did you respond to that feeling? Did you seek to find a place to be alone with Him in prayer and reading His word? Did you break out in joyful worship as you sang a song that exalted Him? If your answers to these questions are not positive, please take the time to examine your heart and your passions. It is our passion that determines our priorities and our pursuits. He is so worthy, and you will never regret one second you spent with Him.
