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Power of passion

mukk_in

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Dear saints, greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I’ll be brief, and hope that the Lord had been prospering and protecting you. Please don’t be misled by the title (it’s not a cheesy movie title). When we think of passion, words like, “aggression”, “lust”, “violence”, or even “suffering” cross our minds. However, “passion” is defined as a “strong, barely controllable emotion.” That means that passion can also be a powerful emotion like love or an intense desire to protect and serve. It may demonstrate itself in different ways in each of us, but there’s an overwhelming desire (if led by the Holy Spirit) to do something constructive and positive. How’s our passion for Christ these days?

Please turn with me to Revelation 3:15-17. This is the famous passage where the Lord was rebuking the Church in Laodicea (although scholars will extend this to many contemporary churches) for having lost its passion for the Lord and for quenching the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). I’d like to take it slightly out of context and apply it to us personally. How’s our "passion-meter" for the Lord running these days? Is it flashing red (boiling hot), deep blue (frozen cold), or translucent (lukewarm)?

The unquenchable fire of the Holy Spirit was physically evident in the Lord Jesus when power went out of Him while He healed the woman with internal bleeding (Luke 8:46), when He literally hammered the “hell” out of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-39), when He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44), when He walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33), and when He cleared the Temple off greedy thugs (Mark 11:15-17). How’s the fire of the Holy Spirit in us vis-à-vis the Lord? Is it powerful enough to overcome the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18)? Are the demons trembling when they see Christ in us (James 2:19)?

Irresistible emotions can make one do horrible things, but they can also drive one to prevail against all odds. The Apostle Paul, at the end of his ministry, was willing to pour out his life as a drink offering (2 Timothy 4:6). Have we given ourselves unreservedly to God, or has our passion for God run cold? I pray that the Lord will not have to rebuke us as He did the Laodicean church.

Peace in Christ saints, and have a good week :).