Passion

Gary and I have been trying to define what passion for God is for people. I looked up the word, and was real shocked they actually mentioned Jesus! It's like you read though the list about lust and sexual desire and feelings and emotions, and then...........JESUS!!! Yes, passion is a feeling, but that's not what i am talking about today. We all have a strong desire for something, whether it be our husbands, hobbies, or even.....chocolate...

1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
3. strong sexual desire; lust.
4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.
5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.
6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.
7. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him.
8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.
9. violent anger.
10. the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, esp. something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior (contrasted with action).
11. (often initial capital letter) Theology. a. the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper.
b. the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels.
12. Archaic. the sufferings of a martyr.

Passion=suffering? Christ suffered for us? He chose to do that! WHAT! Suffering....how horrible...
don't we blame God for our sufferings? Come on, I know you've thought it.
But his passion was suffering on the cross for us?

So I ask again what stirs your passion? What burns so bad you would do anything for it? Even suffer...a little

1. a journey taken with no shoes, bandaids, cell phone, water-only to get to a place with even less and expectations to give them something greater than any modern day luxury (JESUS!!!)
2. listening to my husband talk about his visions for world wide missions and knowing he needs me to be by his side when God calls us to carry them out. just thinking about the perfection of man and woman together when it's done right...dang!!
3. fasting and praying with people who are so on fire for God
4. truly believing in my church (CELEBRATION) and wanting to do anything for it...believing so whole heartedly it makes me cry to think about how many people they are reaching, and how i am one of those people.
5. fighting my flesh, struggling knowing that God is using that situation to grow and mold me. accepting the things of this world are not what i need to be happy and filled.
6. my new family-people who have taught me to give others the shirt off my back if that's what it takes.
7. dirty baby feet in flip flops waiting in line for days to get medical attention
8. seeing my class get excited to succeed-watching things click in their heads about themselves
9. watching middle schoolers go to the alter and talk to God-EVERY WEEK
10. submission, accepting that i'm not the answer...He is.

there are so many more...but all of those things did start with suffering. all things worthy of God's praise and glory are worked hard for. i know i keep saying this, but it's a marathon, not a sprint. it's not how you start-but how you finish. Over the past two years it's been a struggle to understand Paul and his attitude because he was human just like us. The one thing he got down right away, is that feelings are good-but not reality. Intentions can be meant well, but you still need to take responsibility. Choices must be made: Am I going to get angry or take the high road? Am I going to feed into other's negativity, or walk away? Am I going to think about what i used to do or change the behavior?

What ignites your suffering, i mean passion? I don't think many people actually read this, but if you do, what stirs you up inside? What explodes out of your heart when you think about it?