“Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures:
“Passion for God’s house will consume me.” (John 2:17 NLT) Did you know that Jesus was not only passionate about church, but He was also very passionate about going to the cross? Mel Gibson made a movie about Jesus going to the Cross and called it The Passion of the Christ. On a side note, did you know that many of the cast members and crew converted to Christianity after the completion of the film? Among those converted was an atheist who played Judas Iscariot! It is also the highest grossing independent film of all time; a movie with passion and about passion impacting lives!
I thought about Jesus and His passion to go to the cross. Passion is a strong and barely controllable emotion. Jesus was passionate for the vision that His Father gave Him. His success demanded passion! His vision gave Him that passion! I believe that our success in life requires the exact same thing. We need to have passion for the right things. We can all be passionate about stuff, but I believe that we need to focus that emotion towards the Kingdom of God.
The Word shows us that one day Jesus went to the temple and saw a bunch of merchants in it ripping people off. They were using God’s House as a marketplace and not as a place of worship and teaching. It goes on to say that, Jesus made a whip and beat the men all the way out of the church! The Bible says that the disciples remembered the OT Scripture that said: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” (Psalms 69:9) Jesus showed much passion there and I believe He was passionate in all that He did!
Listen friend, we need to examine our lives and truly determine if we are passionate for the things of God. Remember, the things of God include our lives as well, not just ministry. We need to be passionate about our marriages, relationships, parenting, work, schooling etc. Yes, it’s hard to stay passionate when it involves our daily lives, but it’s imperative that we do. I believe Jesus was passionate every day!
Passion does not necessarily mean a burst of emotion, but a continuous commitment with conviction. I believe when you are passionate about something obstacles will not matter. You find a way—tenacity keeps you going! I believe that passion opens the door to knowledge, because it’s easy to learn something when you’re passionate about it. Good thing to remember when you’re in church, right?
I believe that passion is contagious! Jesus attracted people because He was passionate in what He was doing. People saw it in His words and actions, which helped them to become passionate. I also believe that passion attracts those who don’t want you to be passionate! They want to quench your fire because it makes them uncomfortable—especially religious ones! Ignore them and keep being passionate! Remember, we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Let’s turn this passion on and be the best for God and family! Let’s turn this passion on and live successful world changing lives! Let’s do it and be like Jesus without looking back. I believe that this is a new day for you and me, so let’s live this journey together and impact the world for Christ!
