Passion

UV 2897/10000 Passion
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind
Matthew 22 v 37
Loving anything with all our heart, mind, soul and strength is worship. Loving anyone or anything other than God with this kind of passion is not pleasing to the Lord and not a blessing for our lives. But we can love with just our minds and hearts certain things that attract our attention in this world without giving our hearts to these. For instance, one can love to be creative, love to write or paint or sing. When we are passionate about these chosen areas of activity or interest, we tend to excel in these areas. We are willing to sacrifice comfort, leisure, pleasure, wealth for these interests.
But loving God is an exercise of the heart, mind, spirit and body all acting in unison. Every second of time and every breath of ours as well as every resource and talent belongs to Him. He has only lent it to us. When we understand life in this manner, then every thought, decision, action and reaction of ours will be in alignment with His will and His expressed word that reveals His will for our lives. We are to be physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually engaged with the Lord in all that we do, say and think.
Jesus calls this the first commandment, the most important command as everything else in our personal universe will flow from this. The word “all” repeated with heart, soul, mind and strength implies that no activity or aspiration or relationship of ours is excluded from the gaze or purview of the Lord. We are to be open to His leading and guidance in all areas of our lives. It does not however mean that we are to eclipse out or extinguish every trace of interest in any area of our lives as long as it does not violate or vitiate the will or word of the Lord. Love is like a fire in our hearts lit by the spark of agape love of the Lord. Our passion or love for the Lord is not consuming but a liberating and productive one. Like the burning bush that Moses saw in the wilderness, we are to burn with passion for the Lord without ever being burnt out or extinguished. When Moses saw the burning bush, heard the voice of the Lord calling him out by name, He sensed the love of the Lord, his own self love, his instinct for self preservation began to die at the moment. He was ready to place himself, his safety, his future, his destiny and that of the Hebrew people in the hands of the Lord. Love or passion then is obeying the call of the Lord. Love of the Lord and for the Lord is all encompassing, all enabling, all empowering and not consuming,controlling, intimidating, disempowering or disenfranchising.
Prateep V Philip