Well…No use easing in, I’m just going to jump right in to what I’ve had on my heart to write about.
If I could sum up what is on my heart in one sentence it would be this: I want to be passionately in love with God and I want to be so awakened to His love.
To expand a little bit…I don’t want to be in a groggy half-awake state, but SO awake that my blazing desire for Him infuses all that I am and all that I do.
I don’t want my love for the Lord to be like the ebb and flow of waves. I don’t even want to just live a life of sustained passion for the Lord, but I want an ever increasing and escalating life of passion and to abide in God’s extreme love.
I believe that passionate love should be what primarily characterizes us as believers.
Bill Johnson said, “Christianity was never meant to be a life of disciplines. It was meant to be a life of passion.” The most natural thing as Christians should be to be passionately in love with Jesus and for His BLAZING love to be infused into everything that we do.
I mean, even those that are not Christians long for passion. We are made for passion! Have you noticed how we, as human beings, are so drawn to people that live with such fervor? How we are drawn to those who are so alive and, well, passionate?
Example 1. Steve Irwin (aka Crocodile Hunter). I don’t think that I watched his shows growing up because I was particularly interested in crocodiles or snakes or spiders (especially very poisonous ones!). In fact, I don’t like those things at all. Yet, I kept coming back and watching him handle these wild and lethal creatures. I was drawn to the energy and the passion with which he lived his everyday life.
Example 2. Romantic movies. Action movies. By continually coming back and watching movies, we escape into another world where we can live vicariously through the characters in a sweet romantic comedy, or thrilling action movie. We love stories of romance, of courage, of bravery and loyalty, of sacrifice. We love these things because they tap into something much deeper within us. We were born to live wholeheartedly. We were born to live passionately. We were meant to give our lives for something greater than ourselves. To Someone greater than ourselves. This is why Jesus is called the “Desire of all Nations” (Haggai 2:7). Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the yearnings of the the human heart, the longings of our spirit.
I cannot simply live a life of discipline. I NEED a life of passion.
Banning Leibscher describes it this way, “Disciplines are like guardrails on the highway. They help to buffer us so that we remain on the road. But they will never really be substantial enough to keep our engines running.” He also said, “Impassioned love is the fuel we were made to burn.” It makes perfect sense! I really love this analogy.
This is why religion can be so detrimental. I don’t want religion, a stiff set of do’s and dont’s. I want RELATIONSHIP!
When Christ died on the cross, He said “It is finished!” I am a new creation. I no longer have to focus all my energy following rule after rule, trying to live up to be someone worthy of love. I am loved. I no longer live under the law. I live under Christ. And because of that, I am not under religion, I am in relationship with Him. That is where the passion flows. And that is where the fruit grows (Woah, that rhymed!).
Psalm 89:1-2
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
My question is, how do I keep this passion? Maybe its as simple as returning to our first love and dwelling in the secret place with Him. It is possible to live with a burning passion for God everyday, not because we are hyped up, but rather, that we are living in the presence of The Burning One. His eyes are burning with passion and love and when we gaze at Him, we cant help but burn, too. Jesus is irresistible.
Psalm 27:4
One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.
I’m not perfect. I cannot say that I live with this kind of passion everyday. But I want to. I want to be a burning one! I wan to live thoroughly in love with Jesus and I want to declare that His love stands forever. I want to make it known throughout the generations, known to the nations!
One of the songs that I wanted to post, I could not find on YouTube (Sad day!)
Anyway, I suggest listening to the song: “Set Us on Fire” by Mac Montgomery and the Family Band. It is raw. It is good.
The other song is “Set a Fire” by United Pursuit Band.
Love you bunches!
