Passion. It is what causes a young man to risk rejection and ask the girl of his dreams to marry him. It is what drives an athlete to get up early and push their body to the limits to win. As a church, it is one of our non-negotiables. We intend to be passionate about our vision: seeing people’s lives changed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God has created us to be passionate people.
But sometimes, our passion can get the best of us. Take Peter’s story in John 18. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter acts out with passion. John tells us that he cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. He was passionately defending the cause. Do you think he was aiming at that guy’s ear? No way! He was going for the dude’s head. He was passionate!
It doesn’t take long in the story, however, to watch his passion go from defending the cause to self-preservation. We find him in this chapter hiding from trouble and even denying that he had ever known Jesus. He has a passionate response of a very different kind.
You and I can are known to do the same things at times. As you read John 18 today, recognize that we are people of passion. We just have to be careful that we point our passions in the right directions. Are you passionate about God’s plan for your life? Or are you more passionate about seeing your own plans come together? Do your passions lead you to defend the cause or deny the Christ?
These are important questions. Take some time today and think about the different areas of your life. School. Work. Home. Church. How do your passions affect the way you live life in each? Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and lead your passions according to His purpose.
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