What is passion? It is defined as intense feeling or emotion. It can be explained as a strong desire or enthusiasm for something. It is a positive character trait that is recognized and respected by others. Where can passion be seen? A child with a passion for learning will complete his homework and study hard. A youngster with a passion for sports will pour his heart into practice and work to always get better. Unfortunately, many children are satisfied with just participating and only doing what it takes to get by. What if everyone had this mentality toward life? If a builder built houses halfway, they would certainly be dangerous to live in. If an automotive factory put a car partially together, no one would want to drive it. What if Christ had stopped halfway to the cross and said, “That is good enough!”? Salvation would not be available to us!
Our passion must be applied to the correct things, Many people waste their energy and their passion on things that don’t really matter for eternity. For instance, sports fans can be very passionate. It is not uncommon for people to yell and scream during a game. Others display passion by knowing all the statistics from yesterday’s game! There is nothing wrong with enjoying those things. However, many people today have passion for the wrong things while appearing to ignore what is important in life. It does not have to be sports–that is simply an area where passion is easily seen. It could be a hobby or a pastime that a person spends hours a day doing. Maybe it is a video game that a person plays for long periods of time and even thinks about while not playing it. Everyone has something they are passionate about, and passion is not wrong. However, passion for the right things is extremely important.
Elijah was a prophet God used to speak to His nation, Israel, a long time ago. He was a man who was passionate about God. Does that mean he painted his face and screamed, “Go, God!” all the time? No! It simply means that nothing was more important to him than obeying what God wanted him to do. One biblical story of Elijah illustrates his passion for the right things as opposed to the passion for wrong things displayed by others. The nation of Israel was at a point where it needed to decide if it was going to serve the true God or false gods. Showing his passion for God, Elijah stood up before the people and told them they needed to choose whom they would serve. He challenged a group of idol worshippers to a competition to prove whose God was real. While the idol worshippers cut themselves and cried and jumped around like weirdos, Elijah simply prayed a prayer the way that God wanted him to. While he was being passionate about doing right in the sight of God, the idol worshippers had plenty of passion themselves! However, their passion was about the wrong things. They ended up paying for it in the end, too.
Passion is a good thing, but when it is applied in the wrong areas, it can hurt us. God is pleased when we are most enthusiastic about the things important to Him. Does that mean we need to paint our faces and scream when we come to church? No! But it does mean that the right things are more important than sports, hobbies, or friends.
Passion is also contagious. When you are around people who are enthusiastic and energetic, it is easy to catch some of their excitement. No matter what they are passionate about, some of it starts to rub off on the people around them. A happy person tends to make those around him happier. A grouchy person causes others to be less happy. A person who is excited about a game can make others more interested in what is going on. The important thing to understand is this: passion is contagious. The things you’re most passionate about will rub off on people around you, so be sure that you are passionate about good things. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Jesus instructed us that our greatest passion should be for God.
MEMORY VERSE:
“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” Psalm 119:10